Musée Despiau-Wlérick
Tucked inside a converted medieval chapel and adjacent buildings in the heart of Mont-de-Marsan, this museum holds the largest public collection of early-20th-century figurative sculpture in France. It celebrates two hometown heroes — Charles Despiau and Robert Wlérick — whose bronzes rival anything you'll find in Paris.
Two Masters, One Remarkable Collection
Charles Despiau was Auguste Rodin's own assistant, and his portrait busts — serene, psychologically acute — line the galleries with quiet authority. Robert Wlérick's monumental figures, including the famous equestrian statue of Marshal Foch on the Trocadéro in Paris, show the full ambition of the interwar figurative tradition.
The permanent collection spans over 400 works and is supplemented by rotating temporary exhibitions that bring contemporary sculpture into dialogue with the historic pieces. Even if you arrived in Mont-de-Marsan by accident, you'd leave talking about this place.
The Building Itself Is Part of the Show
The museum occupies the Lacataye donjon, a 14th-century tower that is the oldest standing structure in the city, plus a handsome 19th-century villa. Moving between medieval stone and bourgeois plasterwork while looking at modernist bronzes creates a genuinely strange and memorable atmosphere.
Allow at least 90 minutes — the sculpture garden alone deserves a slow, unhurried circuit, especially on a sunny afternoon when the light catches the bronze surfaces perfectly.
More of Mont-de-Marsan
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Mont-de-Marsan →
