Musée régional d'art contemporain Occitanie

About the museum

The link between contemporary art and the town of Sérignan goes back to the early 1990s. From 1991, the Espace d’art contemporain Gustave Fayet, named after a collector from Béziers, hosted temporary exhibitions of artists of national and international renown. Enlarged in 1997 from 200 to about 600 m², it saw most of the artists it showed give a work, which gradually built up a collection.

In 2006 the town created a municipal museum to showcase this collection, in a former wine cellar in the heart of the administrative and cultural centre, with more than 2,000 m² of usable space. On January 1, 2010 it became the Musée régional d’art contemporain Languedoc-Roussillon, with an additional exhibition area of more than 500 m². In 2013 the Region bought premises on the first floor of the neighbouring post office, allowing an extension and renovation completed in 2016; the museum now offers more than 3,200 m².

The building expresses its identity from the outside: the façade of the extension carries Bruno Peinado’s work “Il faut reconstruire l’Hacienda,” the glazed parts of the original building are covered by Daniel Buren’s “Rotation,” and a large ceramic mural, “Les Femmes fatales,” is signed by the Icelandic artist Erró. Inside, the museum presents temporary exhibitions and displays from its collection, with a print room, a bookshop with museum shop, a children’s lounge and a documentation centre. Since the merger of the regions it has been called Mrac Occitanie.

Highlights

• Former wine cellar converted into a museum of more than 3,200 m²
• Façades by artists: Buren, Erró and Bruno Peinado
• Displays from the Region’s contemporary art collection
• Print room and documentation centre with Wi-Fi
• Audio description of seven works and sign-language tours
• Children’s lounge and workshops of the Petit musée

Permanent exhibition

• Collection et façades d'artistes – Displays from the Region’s contemporary art collection and works on the façades by Daniel Buren, Erró and Bruno Peinado.

Founded

2006

Operated by

Région Occitanie / Pyrénées-Méditerranée

Admission & discounts

Free admission: First Sunday of every month

Also free for job seekers, recipients of minimum social benefits, journalists, members of ICOM and ICOMOS, licensed guides, teachers with the Pass Éducation, annual subscribers and holders of the Region’s Carte Jeune. Payment in cash, by bank card or by cheque.

Accessibility

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

Easy-to-read guide (FALC) available online and at the front desk. Audio description of seven works in the collection; Braille labels (cartels) can be consulted at the front desk. Tours in French Sign Language are free for each temporary exhibition and each collection display. Room sheets adapted for visually impaired visitors. Animals are not admitted, except assistance dogs.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Playground / play area
• Kids’ birthday parties

The Petit musée offers family workshops, included with the entrance ticket, limited to 12 children and 10 adults, by reservation, as well as holiday workshops. Playful trail for children from age 1. The “Petit Guide” activity booklet and the “Zoom Zoom” image kit are handed out free of charge. Children’s lounge open access and free. Birthday parties at the museum.

Getting there & parking

By car on the A9: exit 64 coming from Narbonne, exit 36 coming from Montpellier; follow signs for Sérignan, then the administrative and cultural centre.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi

Bookshop with museum shop specialising in contemporary art, open access, with mail-order sales. The documentation centre and reading room are open during museum hours and offer free Wi-Fi.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit