Musée Des Beaux Arts
Musée Des Beaux Arts
3.5
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Duration: 1-2 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

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3.5
3.5 of 5 bubbles45 reviews
Excellent
13
Very good
12
Average
14
Poor
2
Terrible
4

RonL40
Utica, NY3 565 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Couples
Located just behind the Cathedral, this little museum boasts several pieces by Utrillo and Soutine from the years when they lived and painted in Chartres. When we were there, we missed the Zurbaran (on loan). If you are interested in Limoges, the series of 16th century Leonard Limosin enamels on glass -- the twelve Apostles -- are spectacular. Otherwise, not a destination and nothing here from the cathedral. But if you go to a city to visit an art museum, you may well find something interesting here.
Written 26 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

BeckyBooBird
Fort Myers Beach, FL509 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2018 • Solo
Housed in the former Bishop's Palace, the Museum of Fine Arts in Chartres is adjacent to Chartres Cathedral. The garden of the Bishop’s Palace has three levels of terraces which overlook the Eure River valley and offer a stunning view of the Old Town. Their retaining wall is built on an ancient fortification. Steep steps lead down to a lower level, where a maze is located. A maze differs from a labyrinth in that the maze offers choices of which path to take and dead ends, whereas the labyrinth has only a single, if convoluted, path leading to the center.

The collections of the museum include: 16th-century enamel art paintings of the twelve Apostles made by Leonard Limousin, the court painter of King Francis I; paintings from the 16th to 19th centuries as well as modern art; polychromatic (multicolored) wooden sculptures from the Middle Ages; and pieces of art from Africa and Oceania donated by the French colonial governor, Louis-Joseph Bouge. The collection of 18th century French painting includes works by Boucher, Fragonard, Watteau and Chardin. I thought that a bishop’s museum would contain mostly religious or sacred objects. This wasn’t the case, perhaps because much of the artwork was donated rather than acquired. As donations increased, the museum grew to accommodate them. The result is a wide range of artistic works and a surprise around every corner.

This small, eclectic museum has unique treasures. I appreciated the Old Masters, but the sizable painting of "Metabus, King of the Volsci" in the Italian-style entrance hall was stunning. This painting depicts Metabus as he was driven from his throne along with his infant daughter, Camilla. To protect his child, he bound her to a spear, threw her across a river and swam across the river to retrieve her. The roomful of polychromatic wooden sculptures was as beautiful as it was unexpected. The greatest surprise was the modern art by Vlaminck, Derain and Soutine. Seeing one of Soutine’s choir boys in a small museum in Chartres was an unexpected treat. This museum, for all its diversity and maybe because of its diversity, was well worth the visit. If you go, you will surely see something that will make you glad you went.
Written 11 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

grosplant
Chesham, UK3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2018 • Couples
all good, particularly the catheedral light show. This is so good that we returned to see it again this year. The ambience of the cathedral area is also intoxicating.
Written 26 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

DimiEG
Versailles, France206 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2018 • Couples
This museum is next to the cathedral, easy to combine and with a free entrance. Small collection of religious objects, sculptures and paintings. The best thing to see is the Vlaminck painting collection and the building itself. The gardens offer a great view of the city, worth the visit!
Written 20 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Katrien S
Ghent, Belgium1 982 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2018 • Couples
The museum is housed in the former bishops palace, and the building is quite nice, both inside and outside. Inside there is still the private chapel, not withstanding the cathedral is about 10 metres away. Inside they have a decent collection of medieval e-mails, mostly from Limoges. There is a collection paintings and some sculptures from medieval and barok period, as well as modern art. The collection is not the best, and the display doesn´t improve things. The museum is free, but is only open in the afternoon.
Written 15 March 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bazzerlondon
London101 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2017
Interesting collection of sculpture and paintings. Wonderful views of Chartres from the gardens at the back.
Written 22 October 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jelle P
Shanghai, China74 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2016 • Family
A small but very interesting Museum in Chartres . Showing old and modern art, paintings, sculptures, furniture and archeological finds. Right next to the cathédrale so easy to combine in one visit .
Written 31 January 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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