Last week, the Friends of Museums had the opportunity to visit the new Goya museum in Castres, completely renovated, enlarged and transformed. Everyone was won over by his “metamorphosis”.
After the reopening of the Goya Museum, the Friends of the Museums had the opportunity to participate in a guided tour of the establishment. In the courtyard of the town hall, the group has grown visibly. Maribel Auger, the president, was delighted because the members “had deserted a bit during the Covid, but with the prospect of the new museum we recorded a lot of new memberships.”
Three groups of about twenty people were formed and the visit was able to begin. It lasted two and a half hours. Some grabbed the folding seats available in the entrance before a “Wow!” concert started. at the sight of the new layout of the building. The Friends of the Museums have taken the route which unfolds over 1,500 m2 and two levels, and which begins with the Spanish Middle Ages with large painted panels and a complete altarpiece.
An “utterly remarkable” museum tour
The Renaissance period followed, notably with the Predella of the Master of Alcira, acquired thanks to a subscription from the Friends of the Museums. Then, the period of the Golden Age where Seville holds the upper hand with two major works by Pacheco “The Last Judgment”, “Christ served by the angels”, and Philip IV by Velasquez with a dedicated room to female figures.
As you go, you walk through a chromatic space designed to enhance the paintings presented. And surprising where was “the Junta of the Philippines”, sits in majesty the self-portrait of Goya. “It’s our own Mona Lisa!” Said amused Joëlle Arches, the curator of the premises, who has made a “quite remarkable” museum tour, commented Maribel Auger. A small room is also dedicated to Marcel Briguiboul* and his family.
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The last rooms are devoted to “contemporary painting, as Malraux said”, in particular the homage to Miro with the 21 plates of the Gaudi series, acquired by the Goya museum over the last 20 years. Please note that this exhibition will end on June 4th. That of Picasso will then follow (which is the 50th anniversary of his death) with the summer exhibition “Goya in the eye of Picasso”.
“An emotional shock”
General satisfaction therefore of the Friends during this day. “Everything has been thought out to facilitate and make the visit pleasant, a success”, confided one of the members. “It’s magnificent! And having visited the old museum a lot, I can say that it has nothing to do with it anymore! I’m delighted, everything is well signposted, we go from one period to another chronologically, it’s really a pleasure,” said another “Friend”.
“I had an emotional shock to find the paintings that I like in this new setting, their presentation is perfect” and again “it’s a total success, our museum is now part of the big leagues , congratulations to Joëlle Arches and her team”… The joy was unanimous.
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