Musee d'Art (Museum of Art), Toulon

The Museum of Arts (MAT) in Toulon is an architectural landmark, inaugurated in 1888, featuring a striking sculpted and enameled façade and a U-shaped design. Originally, the building housed three institutions-the Art Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Library-but today, it serves as a dedicated art museum. Accredited as a "Musée de France," the museum shares its mission with the Art Library, offering a space for cultural enrichment and artistic exploration.

The museu's interior courtyard, once steeply sloped, has been redesigned into an inviting open space, featuring water elements that connect the museum to the surrounding cityscape. The museum’s permanent collection includes a diverse range of works, spanning ancient, modern, and contemporary art, along with a cabinet of curiosities and a graphic arts section. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions, bringing in renowned artists and dynamic curatorial projects.

A visit to the Toulon Art Museum reveals a rich contemporary art collection, built up since the late 1980s and featuring major figures from New Realism, such as Arman, César, Christo, and Yves Klein. The museum also boasts works from Minimalist artists like Donald Judd and Sol LeWitt, as well as a photographic archive of nearly 400 works. Since 2020, the museum has prioritized exhibitions that reflect artistic and social issues from the 1960s onward, showcasing both French and international artists.