musee de beaux-arts

We took a little trip to Arras to visit this museum. We expected it to be little. Not in the least! Very nice size, multiple floors. The regular part of the museum had some very nice art but the jewel of the visit is the Versailles exhibit. Simply wonderful! The outside of the building will not wow you, so don't be discouraged. Very little in English too. Well worth the 7.50 entry fee.

I am always excited to find a museum in France that is open and never miss a chance to go in straight away (they might close for lunch!) seriously though this museum is well worth a visit.It always seems to have an amazing temporary display from one of the larger museums.So you can go round without the crowds of the larger museums and enjoy the exhibits in a relaxed environment.

Go before March 20th if you can and catch the special Versailles exhibition. It's superb. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to stand in the centre of one of Versailles' great fountains (but without getting wet) this is your chance.

This small museum has some interesting local pieces, but the main attraction is the temporary Versaille exhibition. This is well laid out and quite fascinating. I learnt more about the Palace, and particularly the gardens than when I visited Versaille.

We'd really come to see the Lens Louvre but decided to stay to Arras and thought we'd look in on the local Musee. It was well worth the visit - a surprisingly big collection and some nice pieces. If you;re there and like art don't miss it.

Excellent exhibition around Versailles fountains and bosquets with pieces of bronze animals saved from fountains that exist no longer. There are pièces of furniture, paintings, sculptures and porcelaine too. The most remarquable is the staging, the " mise en scène", very well done.The rest of the museum is very interesting too.

Probably not the best place to visit if you're not keen on 17th/18th century oil paintings/religious paintings or pottery. Top floor housed more interesting (and more recent) art but otherwise not really my cup of tea. Building was quite interesting - especially black and white tiled cloisters. If its part of your free pass then worth a quick 30 minute visit as fairly near main squares.

I must say that the 17th and 18th centuries are not my favourite period for art. Having said that, the museum was very quiet when I visited on a Wednesday afternoon and I could have taken as long as I liked.One criticism was that the way the paintings were lit (by lights high on the wall opposite) meant that I had considerable difficulty in viewing the paintings and not viewing the reflections created by the lighting.

The Musee has good collection of 17,18,19th century paintings and ceramics but the best part was the special exhibition of carriages and sleighs from the Palace of Versailles. The extensive collection included carriages used by kings and queens as well as Napoleon 1st and 2nd. To see them all together was an excellent, though unusual way to view French history over the last three or so centuries.

The carriages were magnificent and you could view them easily as it was not too crowded. The workmanship, painting and opulence of the carriages and sleighs made the visit well worthwhile. The only problem was getting a ticket as there seemed to be confusion amongst the staff. Still it was a great exhibition and well worth the visit. I believe this exhibition is not a permanent one and it would be worth checking. There were some really good paintings to look at in the rest of the display and museum. The museum is within easy walking distance of the centre of Arras.

Well worth a visit. We saw the carriages and they were amazing. Always good to navigate a museum with two kids in tow and for them to be entertained. Highlight of our trip.

My husband and I spent a morning touring the Versailles exhibit of carriages and sledges. The Musee de Beaux-Arts and Versailles formed a partnership and this exhibit in Arras includes articles and paintings originating from Versailles. I was very impressed with the finery and craftsmanship of the carriages. The exhibit also includes paintings from the same era, and an excellent video at the end of the tour which addresses how the carriages are constructed, and evolved over the years.We visited Versailles later in the week, after seeing the Arras exhibit, so it was a great find with a fraction of the crowds. We purchased a Versailles Pass at the Arras tourism office which got us access to the exhibition at a discounted price.

Whilst we were there this museum had an exhibition of Carraiges from Versailles which was breath taking, The regular artifacts were also worth a visit with some amazing Paintings .

So much to see, you will need to allow plenty of time. This month (June 2013) there is an extra carriage exhibition from Versailles. It's a great opportunity to see something very unusual and interesting.

Ventured into here i will admit because it was warm! Beautiful place, and interesting range of exhibits. At the moment there is the carriages exhibition from versaille, which is just stunning. A few of the paintings I found hung at levels and angles that picked up light reflection, which was a shame. Very friendly place as well.