Musée des arts d'Afrique et d'Asie
Museum in Vichy that grew out of a missionaries' collection, devoted to the arts and cultures of Africa and Asia, with exhibitions renewed every year.
No sound? Check your device’s silent switch.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum grew out of the Maison du Missionnaire, an association founded in Vichy by the Lazarist priest Henri Watthé to host missionaries who came to take the spa waters. The museum was created with objects collected by the missionaries and with gifts from private individuals. A house called Béthanie, with a chapel, a lecture hall and the museum, was built in 1930, and Father Aroud gave his Asian collections in 1935.
The holdings were assembled between 1922 and 1940 and comprise around 4,000 pieces and natural specimens. Originally, the objects served to show the work of the missionaries and to persuade visitors to support them. Between 2000 and 2002, the museum was refurbished in a former house dating from 1881, which had successively been a hydrotherapy establishment and the water-testing laboratory of Vichy, and it opened its doors on July 2, 2002.
Today, the museum presents new exhibitions every year on the arts of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. One exhibition also looks at the museum's first installations and offers a critical view of the missionary and colonial context of its collections.
Highlights
- Art and object collections from Africa and Asia, assembled since 1922
- New exhibitions every year
- Exhibition “Le musée a 100 ans” on the history of the missionary collections
- Free-access art workshops
- The museum is fully accessible, with a lift
Permanent exhibition
- Le musée a 100 ans – Exhibition on the museum's first installations and on the missionary and colonial gaze applied to objects from Africa and Asia.
- Founded
- 1923
- Visitors per year
- approx. 5,134
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3 |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 18 · Free up to age 18. |
| Groups | €5 per personGuided visit for adult groups: €5 per person for up to 15 people, with a sliding rate from 16 people. Schools and leisure centres: flat fee of €75 per class or group (visit and workshop, 2 hours). Free for teachers from the region and accompanying adults. |
| Guided tour of the exhibitions (Thursdays at 15:00, about 1 hour) | €6No reservation needed. |
As the museum is neither a national nor a municipal institution, free entry on the first Sunday of the month does not apply.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The museum is fully accessible to people with reduced mobility. The gate is just before 16 avenue Thermale; a ramp leads to the museum, which has a lift.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 18 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Hands-on stations
The museum is suited to family visits, with interpretation points for younger visitors and art workshops open to all. School visits combine discovery of the collections with a workshop.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tours of the exhibitions take place on Thursdays at 15:00 with the head of collections, without reservation. Educational visits for schools include discovery of the collections and an art workshop; reservations at 04 70 97 76 40. |
