Musée Paul Valéry in Sète: Interview with Director Maïthé Vallès-Bled
Located in Sète, France, the Musée Paul Valéry honors the poet Paul Valéry, who was born in 1871. Established through contributions from his widow, Jeannie Valéry, between 1948 and 1949, the museum was designed by Guy Guillaume and opened its doors in 1970. After renovations, it reopened in June 2010. In 2017, the museum's collection, which includes around 4,000 pieces and over 200 paintings by notable artists such as Doré, Degas, and Matisse, was enriched by a donation from Salah Stétié. The museum also engages in cultural initiatives and international partnerships, especially with Genoa. Its current exhibition, 'Peinture et poésie, les peintres vus par les poètes,' runs until November 4, 2018, showcasing 235 paintings and contemporary Mediterranean poetry, with discussions held daily at 4 PM.
Key facts
- Musée Paul Valéry in Sète is the only museum dedicated to poet Paul Valéry.
- Founded after donations by his widow Jeannie Valéry in 1948 and 1949.
- Holds the only surviving correspondence between Valéry and Mallarmé.
- Current building designed by Guy Guillaume, influenced by Le Corbusier, opened in 1970.
- Museum reopened after restoration in June 2010.
- 2017 donation from poet Salah Stétié includes artworks, manuscripts, and artist's books.
- Permanent collection includes about 4,000 works, over 200 paintings from 17th century to today.
- Exhibition 'Peinture et poésie' runs until November 4, 2018, displaying all 235 paintings with poems by contemporary poets.
- Daily encounters at 4 PM during the exhibition feature poets or artists.
- Museum is municipally funded with state subsidies and seeking private sponsors.
Entities
Artists
- Paul Valéry
- Stéphane Mallarmé
- Salah Stétié
- Gustave Doré
- Edgar Degas
- Paul Cézanne
- Henri Matisse
- Eustache Le Sueur
- Alexandre Cabanel
- Gustave Courbet
- Johan Barthold Jongkind
- Nicolas Mols
- Georges-Henri Hintz
- Gabriel Troncy
- Albert Marquet
- Maximilien Luce
- Raoul Dufy
- Jean Messagier
- Gabriel Couderc
- Franco Buffoni
- Viviane Ciampi
- Giuseppe Conte
- Mauro Macario
- Valerio Magrelli
- Enzo Minarelli
- Claudio Pozzani
- Paolo Ruffilli
- Fabio Scotto
Institutions
- Musée Paul Valéry
- Artribune
Locations
- Sète
- France
- Genoa
- Italy
- Beirut
- Lebanon
- Spain
- Tunisia
- Algeria
- Morocco
- Turkey
- Cyprus
- Israel
- Palestine
- Syria
- Iraq
- Iran
- Argentina
- Portugal
- Canada
- Bolivia
- Guadeloupe
- New Caledonia
- Cuba
- Mediterranean