Musée Gaspar

About the museum

The Musée Gaspar occupies a large bourgeois house built in 1839, which first served as a bank. Extended in 1869, it became the property of the Gaspar family in 1893. On his death, Charles Gaspar bequeathed it, with its furniture, to the City of Arlon, so that it could house a museum devoted to the work of his brother Jean and to Arlon's heritage. Fully renovated in 2003, it opened to the public in 2004. It retains a fresco in the main stairwell and two reception rooms restored to their original state, in the fin-de-siècle style.

Jean Gaspar (1861-1931), a pupil of the Antwerp sculptor Jef Lambeaux, became known as an “animal genius”: he observed the animals of our region as closely as the most exotic ones, notably at the Antwerp Zoo. The museum displays his bronzes and plasters, along with documents about his career. His brother Charles (1871-1950), a pictorialist photographer and a contemporary of Léonard Misonne and Gustave Marissiaux, bequeathed a collection of photographs, medals, antique furniture and paintings.

The route ends in the religious art room, which holds pieces from the Institut archéologique du Luxembourg, including the exceptional Fisenne altarpiece, c. 1510, from Antwerp workshops, as well as objects from the Abbey of Orval and from chapels in the region. A temporary exhibition fills the rest of the first floor. A playground and picnic tables are available outside.

Highlights

• Animal sculptures and plasters by Jean Gaspar, a pupil of Jef Lambeaux
• Pictorialist photographs by Charles Gaspar
• Two reception rooms restored in a bourgeois house from 1839
• Fisenne altarpiece (c. 1510), made in Antwerp workshops
• Multimedia tables in four languages and a tablet with audio description

Permanent exhibitions

• Les salons Gaspar – Two restored rooms featuring Jean Gaspar's sculptures, Charles Gaspar's photographs and the atmosphere of a wealthy early-20th-century residence.
• Salle d'art religieux et retable de Fisenne – Pieces from the Institut archéologique du Luxembourg and the Gaspar bequest, including the Fisenne altarpiece (c. 1510) and objects from the Abbey of Orval.

Founded

2004

Operated by

Ville d'Arlon

Admission & discounts

Free admission: First Sunday of the month: free admission, with a free themed guided tour of the temporary exhibition from 14:00 to 16:30.

Free admission with proof for members of the Institut archéologique du Luxembourg, ICOM card holders, holders of the museumPASSmusées and pass 365.be, tourist office guides, teachers, journalists, Article 27 ticket holders, persons with disabilities and jobseekers. Admission is free between two temporary exhibitions (permanent collections only).

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description

The museum received the Access-i label after the Walloon Region's “Accessible Tourism” call for projects in 2019. The whole museum is accessible. People with reduced mobility enter via the glazed extension at the back, by a ramp (please announce your visit at +32 63 60 06 54). There are adapted toilets, chairs and benches in the rooms, and an adapted parking space opposite the museum. For groups, simultaneous access is limited to five wheelchair users, as the house is old. An audio-described tablet is lent free of charge. Assistance dogs are welcome.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Playground / play area
• Kids’ birthday parties

“Kids welcome” section: family visits, birthdays at the museum, “Mercredis au musée” (Wednesdays at the museum), “Marmaille & Co” activities and workshops during the school holidays.

Getting there & parking

By car: E411, Arlon exit, then follow the “musées” signs.

Amenities & dining

• Coat check

Unsupervised cloakroom, bicycle parking, a free playground supervised by an adult, and picnic tables.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit