Avignon Further Distractions
Ramps from the Palais des Papes lead up past the Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Doms to the Rocher des Doms, the site of Avignon's earliest settlement. The rocky area was landscaped into a pleasant plateau with an artificial rock garden in the 18th century. Nineteenth-century additions include a lake and the statues of prominent Provençal figures, such as writer Félix Gras and artists Paul Saïn and Paul Vaysan. Terraces were laid out in the 20th century, offering sweeping views of the River Rhône, Pont St Bénézet, Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and the Alpilles. A shady idyll that draws courting couples and refugees from the afternoon heat.
Rocher des Doms, above place du Palais
Musée Louis Vouland (Louis Vouland Museum)
Successful businessman and art collector Louis Vouland (1883-1973) bequeathed his 19th-century mansion to the state. His home was opened as a museum in 1982, offering a quirky collection of 17th and 18th-century decorative arts. Highlights include faïence (earthenware) from Vincennes and Sèvres, and tapestries woven in Flanders, Aubusson and Gobelins. However, a dainty travel tea set in Sèvres faïence, which belonged to the Comtesse du Barry, mistress of Louis XV, steals the show.
17 rue Victor Hugo
Tel: (04) 9086 0379.
Website: www.vouland.com
Collection Lambert en Avignon
Housed in the Musée d'Art Contemporain, this unique ensemble of more than 350 contemporary artworks, which have been loaned by Yvon Lambert to the city of Avignon for over 20 years. The collection contains a most coherent ensemble of works by leading artists, including Cy Twombly, Sol LeWitt, Donald Judd, Niele Toroni, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Anselm Kiefer, Christian Boltansky, Nan Goldin and Douglas Gordon. Two to three temporary exhibitions are presented each year in addition to the permanent collection.
5 rue Violette
Tel: (04) 9016 5620.
Website: www.collectionlambert.com
Musee Calvet (Calvet Museum)
Housed in a splendid 18th-century mansion, the Musée Calvet displays a varied collection of paintings and sculptures from the 15th to the 20th century, ranging from the archaeological to beaux arts, from decorative to ethnic art.
65 rue Joseph Vernet
Tel: (04) 9086 3384.
Website: www.musee-calvet.org
Le Musée Angladon
A former private home in the heart of historic Avignon, this museum is home to a collection of 19th- and 20th-century masterpieces by artists like Degas, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Picasso and Modigliani.
5 rue Laboureur
Tel: (04) 9082 2903.
Website: www.angladon.com
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