Musée des Beaux-Arts de Calais

About the museum

The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Calais was long housed in the former town hall on the Place d'Armes. Bombing during the Second World War destroyed this building and part of the collections. After the war, the city used war damage compensation to finance a new museum.

The current building, designed by the architect Paul Pamart, opened to the public in 1966. Modernist in style, it faces the Parc Richelieu and carries the “Architecture contemporaine remarquable” label. The museum was originally called the Musée des beaux-arts et de la dentelle. Since 2009 the lace collections have been shown at the Cité internationale de la dentelle et de la mode, and the museum is devoted to fine arts.

The link with Auguste Rodin dates back to the commission for Les Bourgeois de Calais, which the city gave to the sculptor in the mid-1880s. The permanent display has been renewed in stages since 2023. In 2025 a new Rodin gallery opened; it presents, among other things, 21 sculptures on deposit from the Musée Rodin in Paris. Upstairs, fourteen large-scale contemporary works created between 1970 and 2010 are on display.

Highlights

• Rodin gallery with Les Bourgeois de Calais and a deposit of 21 sculptures from the Musée Rodin
• Galerie Beaux-Arts: a journey through art from the early 19th century to the present
• Large-scale contemporary sculptures created between 1970 and 2010, on the upper floor
• Modernist building from 1966, “Architecture contemporaine remarquable” label
• Auditorium with 180 seats

Permanent exhibitions

• Galerie Rodin – The gallery, renovated in 2025, centres on Auguste Rodin's Les Bourgeois de Calais and includes a deposit of 21 sculptures from the Musée Rodin and works by other 19th- and 20th-century sculptors.
• Galerie Beaux-Arts – A chronological journey showing how art and its presentation have evolved, from the early 19th century to the present day.
• Sculptures contemporaines de 1970 à 2010 – Fourteen large-scale works, mostly sculptures by English, French, Swedish, Belgian and German artists, displayed on the upper floor.

Operated by

Ville de Calais

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission free for everyone. Adult workshops are free or cost €10, depending on the workshop.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• 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: no information

Accessible entrance, ramp beside the main staircase, lift serving all three levels. Wheelchairs and folding seats are available, and there is an induction loop at the reception desk. Accessible parking space behind the museum, on the east side.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

Painting and creative workshops for children aged 6 to 13 (Le labo des enfants), and visits adapted for nursery and primary school classes. The site is fully accessible with a pushchair; a pushchair with a folding handle is available, and the accessible toilets have a baby changing table.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the city centre, opposite the Parc Richelieu.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Free cloakroom with key lockers for bags up to 55 x 35 x 20 cm; suitcases are not allowed. The museum shop sells exhibition catalogues, postcards and souvenirs.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Up to 180 guests.

Auditorium with 180 seats, equipped with tablets, sound and lighting equipment and a video projector; book by phone or at musees.auditoriums@mairie-calais.fr.

Plan your visit