Musée d'art et d'histoire Romain-Rolland

About the museum

The Clamecy museum was founded on December 1, 1876 on the initiative of the painter and printmaker Amédée Jullien, its first director. It was first housed in the town hall, then moved in 1967 to the Hôtel de Bellegarde, a 17th-century building listed as a historic monument. It was in this house that the writer Romain Rolland, Nobel Prize winner for Literature, was born; the museum has borne his name since 1988.

The collections range from Gallo-Roman and Merovingian archaeology to paintings and sculptures from the 16th to the 20th century. They also include Clamecy faience, mementos of Romain Rolland and a display on timber rafting on the Yonne and the Seine. Between 1993 and 1995 the museum received the Mitterrand donation, of more than 400 works, mostly paintings. In 2017 and 2018 it received more than 6,000 works by the poster artist Charles Loupot, forming the largest collection devoted to this artist.

The museum holds the “Musée de France” label and, since 2011, the “Maison des Illustres” label.

Highlights

• Gallo-Roman solar head from a Mithras monument, found at Entrains-sur-Nohain
• Zodiac calotte from Chevroches, a unique Roman object
• Largest collection of posters by Charles Loupot
• Clamecy faience, including a 1757 plate showing a game of jeu de paume
• Room devoted to Romain Rolland, with a bronze bust from 1965
• Section on timber rafting

Permanent exhibitions

• Archéologie gallo-romaine et mérovingienne – Objects from the Nivernais, including the solar head of a Mithras monument and the zodiac calotte from Chevroches.
• Collection Charles Loupot – Posters by the poster artist Charles Loupot, the largest collection devoted to this artist.
• Beaux-arts, faïences et souvenirs de Romain Rolland – Paintings and sculptures from the 16th to the 20th century, Clamecy faience, mementos of the writer and a display on timber rafting.

Founded

1876

Operated by

Ville de Clamecy

Admission & discounts

Free admission for the press, Clamecy residents on proof of address, companions, guides and coach drivers, as well as holders of a ticket to the Musée départemental d'art moderne – Collection Zervos in Vézelay.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The tourist office lists a children's workshop among the museum's services.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on the avenue de la République, in the Hôtel de Bellegarde. The tourist office is at 7–9 rue du Grand Marché.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.