A great collection
The museum's collection currently comprises more than 30,000 items from four different collections.
The collections of the Bullfighting Museum
The development of the bullfighting collections of the city of Nîmes began at the beginning of the 20th century.
They were assembled over the years in the Museum of Old Nîmes (Musée du Vieux Nîmes), where a room was dedicated to them. The collections grew steadily thanks to donations and purchases, until the 1958 inventory named them the Bullfighting Museum (musée taurin).
The Henriette et Claude Viallat collection
Painter Claude Viallat, a native of Nîmes, a founding member of the Supports-Surfaces movement and director of the Fine Arts School between 1979 and 1991, was one of the people who championed and promoted the bullfighting heritage.
After years of teaching in Limoges and Marseille, he began collecting bullfighting works and objects upon his return to Nîmes. He also made drawings of bullfighting as well as paintings, sculptures, and assemblages reminiscent of bull heads.
His bullfighting collection is now on long-term loan to the Bullfighting Museum of Cultures, renamed Bullfighting Museum—Henriette and Claude Viallat in 2017.
Objets de la collection Viallat by CollectifMusée des Cultures Taurines
Imprimés de la collection Viallat by AnonymesMusée des Cultures Taurines
The friends of the Bullfighting Museum collection
Since its creation in 1986, the friends of the Bullfighting Museum association has aimed to promote the bullfighting heritage of the city of Nîmes, but also to acquire or receive any work to expand the existing collections.
The collection is on long-term loan to the museum.
Projet d'affiche by Alain ClémentMusée des Cultures Taurines
The Pierre Dupuy collection
A curious and open mind, an internationally recognized writer, and bullfighting critic, Pierre Dupuy donated his book collection and bullfighting collections to the Bullfighting Museum.
With over 2,500 titles, the library holds books, periodicals, and brochures. Focusing on bull running and breeding, it gathers the essentials of a shared culture between the south of France and Spain.
Thanks to this contribution, scholars, historians, and aficionados can now access a truly remarkable collection and expand their knowledge and research.
Musée des Cultures Taurines - Henriette et Claude Viallat (2021-07-21) by Ville de NîmesMusée des Cultures Taurines
Réalisation : Musée des Cultures Taurines
Chef de projet : Camille Dubois
Conservation : Lisa Laborie-Barrière
Coordination : Isabelle Morfin, Gilles Raoux, Jean-Marie Mercier
Crédits photographiques : © Stéphane Ramillon, © Gilles Lefrancq, © Ville de Nîmes - Musée des Cultures Taurines
