Description of the attraction
On the site of the current Calvet Museum, there was a cardinal residence - Livre de Cambre, named after Cardinal Pierre D'Aily, Bishop de Cambre, who once lived here. In 1719, the building was sold to François-René de Villeneuve, the Marquis d'Arzellier and Senor de Martignan.
In 1734, his son Jacques-Ignace de Villeneuve decided to expand his holdings and build a new palace. The construction was started under the direction of Thomas Laine, but then it was replaced by architects Jean-Baptiste Franck and Francesco Frank. Construction work was completed only in 1749. In 1802, the mansion was bought by the merchant Deletre, who, in turn, leased the building to the Avignon authorities in order to house the collection of Esprit Calvet. On March 3, 1833, the building was bought by the municipality of Avignon as a museum. Since October 1, 1963, the city mansion Villeneuve-Martignan has been included in the list of historical monuments in France.
It houses one of the largest collections of paintings in France. The collection was started by the local physician (numismatist, bibliophile and archaeologist) Aspri Calvet, and later, in 1810, he bequeathed his collections and library to the museum of painting. The museum's exhibits are works of applied art, sculpture, porcelain, but the painting department, which covers the period from the 16th to the 20th century, from Vasari and Luca Giordano to David, Corot, Manet, Soutine and Bonnard, is of particular interest.
Here, in the city mansion of Villeneuve-Martinan, to which modern buildings have been added, is the main collection. Calvet's library and a significant collection of nearly 12,000 coins and medals were transported elsewhere in the city.
