Musée Denys-Puech
Encyclopedia
Rodez
Rodez is a town and commune in southern France, in the Aveyron department, of which it is the capital. Its inhabitants are called Ruthénois.-History:Existing from at least the 5th century BC, Rodez was founded by the Celts...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It was founded in 1903 by the sculptor Denys Puech
Denys Puech
Denys Puech was a French sculptor.-Life:From a family of farmers , he began as an apprentice in the marble workshop of François Mahoux in Rodez...
(1854-1942), winner of the prix de Rome
Prix de Rome
The Prix de Rome was a scholarship for arts students, principally of painting, sculpture, and architecture. It was created, initially for painters and sculptors, in 1663 in France during the reign of Louis XIV. It was an annual bursary for promising artists having proved their talents by...
in 1884 and one of the official sculptors of the French Third Republic
French Third Republic
The French Third Republic was the republican government of France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, to 1940, when France was overrun by Nazi Germany during World War II, resulting in the German and Italian occupations of France...
. The building was completed in 1910 by the architect A. Boyer, who designed a ground floor with large bays to enhance the sculpture collection.
Besides the foundational collections, the permanent collection shows artworks by artists originating in the region, notably the Orientalist
Orientalism
Orientalism is a term used for the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers, designers and artists, as well as having other meanings...
painter Maurice Bompard (1857-1935) and the engraver Eugène Viala (1858-1913). Since 1987 it has also exhibited contemporary works, in temporary exhibitions.