Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille

The Palais des Beaux-Arts is a grand palace that lives up to its name. The museum's original structure was constructed in 1809 and was updated to its current Belle Epoque appearance in the 1890s. It is one of France's most significant museums and home to the second-largest outside of Paris collection of fine arts.

THINGS TO DO AT PALAIS DES BEAUX ARTS:

Learn about how the collection was curated:

The Palais des Beaux-Arts is unquestionably one of the richest French museums because of the size of its permanent collections. More of it came from the loot that Napoleon amassed during his numerous campaigns, and still more was taken from religious organizations during and after the French Revolution.

It is home to magnificent collections of sculptures by Rodin, Claudel, and Carpeaux and works by 19th-century French painters David, Courbet, and Pubis de Chavannes.

Embrace ceramic art in the vicinity before you advent into exploring passageways:

It is worthwhile to visit the ceramics gallery before moving on to the paintings. Napoleon I, in imperial attire, is depicted in a large bronze statue, among other things. With a wand in one hand and two symbols of regional production—a beet for the sugar industry and a bale of linen for the textile industry—in the other, this five-meter-tall Napoleon represents the emperor as the protector of industry.

Look at the marvelous visual art:

In addition to a prestigious collection of Flemish and Dutch school artwork, there is an outstanding collection of French paintings from David to Toulouse Lautrec from the 19th century.

Additionally, some paintings significantly contribute to art history, such as David's Bélisaire Demandant L'Aumône.

Discover the relief plans of fifteen fortified towns:

The display of relief maps of fifteen fortified towns in Northern France and Belgium is also noteworthy (18th-century models used by the French Kings during wars). Another benefit is a detour to the drawing room to see Raphael's sketches.