Les Abattoirs

About the museum

In 1823, the city of Toulouse decided to bring its slaughterhouses together on a single site. From 1825, the architect Urbain Vitry designed a neoclassical building on a basilica plan, ending in a semicircular apse. Slaughtering continued until 1988, and the site was listed as a monument historique in 1991.

In 1991, the city of Toulouse and the Midi-Pyrénées region set up a joint syndicate to create a space for modern and contemporary art on the site. The project by architects Antoine Stinco and Rémi Papillault was selected in 1995, works began in 1997, and the museum opened on June 23, 2000. It brought together two previously separate institutions: a museum of modern art and the Midi-Pyrénées regional contemporary art fund (Frac).

The collection comprises around 4,500 works and objects, from the 1930s to the present day. The modern holdings focus on artists active from the 1950s onwards and cover lyrical abstraction, art brut, art informel and the Cobra movement. The contemporary holdings have opened up to the Mediterranean, Africa and South America, with support from collectors such as Daniel Cordier and Anthony Denney.

The museum also holds the large stage curtain by Pablo Picasso, “La Dépouille du Minotaure en costume d’Arlequin”, created in 1936 and given to the city of Toulouse in the 1960s. It is shown in a dedicated room for part of the year.

Highlights

• Pablo Picasso's stage curtain, “La Dépouille du Minotaure en costume d’Arlequin” (1936)
• Modern and contemporary art collections of the museum and the Frac Occitanie
• Neoclassical building by Urbain Vitry, monument historique
• Tactile gallery with four works to touch
• Art trail through the courtyards and garden

Founded

2000

Operated by

Syndicat mixte de la ville de Toulouse et de la région Occitanie, avec le soutien du ministère de la Culture

Director

Lauriane Gricourt

Visitors per year

approx. 243,462

Admission & discounts

Free admission: First Sunday of the month

Admission is also free for members of ICOM, holders of the Pass Tourisme, cultural professionals, job seekers, RSA recipients, journalists and members of the Société des amis des Abattoirs. The ticket is valid all day. Contactless payment or exact change is recommended; cash, cheque, bank card, Apple Pay, Google Wallet and chèques-vacances are accepted.

Accessibility

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

The whole museum, the auditorium, the cloakrooms and the toilets are accessible by lift. Wheelchairs, seat-canes and strollers are lent at reception on request. Documents in Braille and large print, two tactile models of the building, a tactile gallery with four works, induction loops and documents in easy-to-read language are available. Visits in French Sign Language take place during the Museum Night and by reservation. Three disabled parking spaces are on Allée Charles Malpel, about 200 metres from the entrance.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Stroller-friendly

The museum offers workshop visits for ages 3 to 6, holiday courses for children and craft activities to take home. Children up to 12 enter free when accompanied by family. Lifts have priority for families with strollers, and strollers can be lent on request.

Getting there & parking

The museum is close to the city centre, in the Saint-Cyprien district.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

The L’Hémicycle café-restaurant is open Wednesday to Sunday during museum hours, with lunch service from 12:00 to 14:00 and a tea room from 14:30 to 18:00; access is through the courtyard. The bookshop is in the entrance hall. Free code lockers are in the basement; backpacks must be left there. Large luggage and electric scooters are not accepted. There is no picnic area; the neighbouring Raymond VI garden can be used.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Up to 300 guests.

Rental is possible for companies, associations and public bodies: auditorium with 199 seats, entrance hall, council chamber, nave, Salle Picasso and outdoor courtyards. The caterer is free to choose, but their kitchen must be located outside the main building.

Plan your visit