After more than a decade of renovation work, the Château d’Aubenas in the southern Ardèche will open its doors on 5 July 2024 for its first summer season. Here’s a closer look at this key cultural and heritage site in the Ardèche.
The town of Aubenas, nestling in the southern foothills of the Ardèche mountains and laced with the river Ardèche, is preparing to usher in a new era for its iconic medieval château with the opening of the Centre d’Art Contemporain et du Patrimoine, the culmination of the renovation of this building in the heart of the historic town. This transformation marks the end of a vast seven-year renovation project, revitalising the historic building and enriching the local and regional cultural landscape.
Aubenas Castle
Originally conceived as a stronghold, Aubenas castle was built to watch over and protect the surrounding valleys, given its strategic geographical position. The first stones were laid to create an edifice designed to secure trade and assert the power of the local lords.
Built from the 13th century onwards, the Château d’Aubenas has stood the test of time, bearing the mark of great Ardèche families such as the Montlaur, Maubec, Modène, Ornano and Vogüé families. The latter gradually transformed the fortress into an elegant pleasure residence, before the castle became the seat of various public institutions after the French Revolution.
Between the 14th and 17th centuries, the castle underwent significant transformations. The Montlaur, Maubec, Modène and Ornano families, who ruled the region, converted the castle into a residential residence. These changes reflected a shift in its use, from a military residence to a place for living and entertaining.
From the 17th to the 18th century, under the influence of the Ornano and Voguë families, the château was embellished and enlarged, incorporating refined architectural features typical of the Baroque period. These improvements made the château a symbol of prestige and power, transforming its rooms into showcases for sumptuous receptions.
Declared national property during the French Revolution, it was looted in 1792. In the 19th century, Aubenas castle became the seat of various public institutions: the town hall in 1810, municipal services, the industrial tribunal and a museum of local art. This period saw the château become an integral part of the daily lives of the people of Aubenas.
In 1943, the château was listed as a historic monument*, a recognition that underlined its heritage value and triggered a series of conservation initiatives. This protection is the foundation that guarantees its preservation for future generations.
At the beginning of the 21st century, aware of the importance of preserving and enhancing this jewel, the town of Aubenas launched an ambitious renovation project. The work, carried out by the Archipat agency and its architects, aims to restore the château and transform it into a cultural space, while incorporating modern facilities such as panoramic lifts and contemporary installations.
In 2024, the château is ready to embrace its new role as a Centre for Contemporary Art and Heritage. Directed by Victor Secretan, the centre aims to position Aubenas as a meeting point between the artistic past and present, offering exhibitions and programmes that engage with both local history and global contemporary trends.
On the eve of its inauguration, the Château d’Aubenas promises to become a cultural beacon, not only for the Ardèche but also for the Vivarais and the Cévennes, illustrating how heritage can be reinvented as a centre for cultural and artistic life.
With this transformation, Aubenas is inviting the world to rediscover its history through the prism of contemporary art and intercultural dialogue.
The Aubenas contemporary art centre
The renovation project, led by the Archipat agency with architects Laurent Volay and Cyril Accary, is an ambitious undertaking to restore the château while making it easily accessible to the public. The work includes restoring the facades and roofs, as well as adding new facilities such as a staircase and a lift offering panoramic views from the courtyard of Maubec. These interventions are designed to respect the historic authenticity of this unique site while integrating contemporary elements, enabling the château to function as a dynamic space for art and culture.
The Centre d’Art Contemporain et du Patrimoine d’Aubenas, directed by Victor Secretan, aims to put the town on the national cultural map with bold, multi-faceted exhibitions. The centre’s programming is designed to bring together local and international artists, encouraging interaction between creators, works of art and the public. The inaugural exhibition, Habiter le Monde, is an example of this ambition, bringing together artists from diverse backgrounds to explore new paradigms in contemporary art through paintings, videos, installations and sculptures.
With 7 annual exhibitions planned around two seasonal periods, summer and winter, the rhythm of the Aubenas museum and contemporary art centre is composed of the different notes of popular culture: painting, photography, video, comic strips, performance and street art.
With this project, which will come to fruition in thesummer of 2024, the town of Aubenas is not content to simply preserve its heritage; it is reinventing it and inviting it to play an active part in contemporary cultural dialogue. In this way, the Château d’Aubenas becomes more than just a monument: it becomes a nerve centre for art and culture in the region, promising to attract visitors from all horizons, eager to discover the historical and artistic riches of the Ardèche.
To find out more about the work being carried out on the Aubenas contemporary art centre and château, visit the dedicated website of the architectural firm responsible for the project.
The inaugural exhibition: Living in the World
And to launch the first season of the contemporary art centre at Château d’Aubenas, a cross-disciplinary theme, Habiter le Monde (Living in the World), invites a number of contemporary artists to work together, highlighting their creative sensibilities on a shared journey.
Here are the artists featured in this exhibition, from 5 July to 13 October 2024:
- Hicham Berrada
Born in Morocco in 1986, Hicham Berrada combines art and science to create works that simulate and reveal natural processes. Trained at the Beaux-Arts de Paris and the École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Paris, he is best known for his installations that use chemistry to create ever-changing landscapes.
Wikipedia Web
- Bianca Bondi
A South African artist born in 1986 and based in Paris, Bianca Bondi is a graduate of the École Supérieure d’Art de Clermont-Ferrand in Auvergne. Her work explores themes of transformation and decomposition through installations that often incorporate organic elements and found materials, creating ephemeral ecosystems.
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- Céleste Boursier-Mougenot
Born in Nice in 1961 and based in Sète, Céleste Boursier-Mougenot is first and foremost a composer who uses visual elements to generate sound experiences. His immersive and often unpredictable installations transform everyday objects into autonomous musical instruments.
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- Ruben Brulat
A French photographer born in 1987 and originally fromOccitanie, Ruben Brulat is known for his work that captures intimate interactions between naked human bodies and often stark and remote landscapes, showcasing human vulnerability in the face of nature’s vastness.
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- Seyni Awa Camara
Originally from Senegal, Seyni Awa Camara is renowned for her ceramic sculptures depicting human and animal figures, inspired by the traditions and myths of her culture. Born in the 40s of the last century, her work is deeply rooted in craft practices and oral histories.
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- Daniel Crews-Chubb
A British artist born in 1984, Crews-Chubb is known for his vibrant paintings that combine abstract and figurative motifs, using a variety of techniques and materials to explore themes of mythology, history and personality.
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- Gino De Dominicis
A mysterious Italian artist of the last century (1947-1998), Gino De Dominicis left a body of work that spans painting, sculpture and performance art, characterised by an interest in immortality, the invisible and the enigmatic.
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- Sheila Hicks
Born in 1934 in the United States and based in Paris, Sheila Hicks is a major figure in contemporary textile art. Her often large-scale works use coloured fibres to explore texture, colour and weave, constantly reinventing the possibilities of textiles in modern art.
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- Vojtěch Kovařík
A young Czech artist born in 1990, Kovařík is known for his large figurative paintings that depict mythological figures and heroes in a dramatic and expressive style, using bold colours and simplified forms for powerful visual impact.
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- Yein Lee
A South Korean artist born in 1988 in Seoul, Yein Lee explores themes of memory and identity through multimedia works that combine video, installation and drawing, often inspired by her personal experiences and collective histories.
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- Kiki Smith
Born in Germany in 1954, Kiki Smith is a multidisciplinary artist based in New York. Her work is deeply rooted in the exploration of the body, biology, the human condition and folk narratives, in mediums ranging from sculpture and textiles to printmaking and installation.
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Gérard Lattier, solo exhibition
Born in 1937 and based in Poulx in the Gard region of France, Gérard Lattier is a French painter renowned for his unique approach that fuses painting with oral narrative, capturing the essence of his travels through his work.
The artist draws her inspiration from the people and landscapes of the Ardèche, populating her works with local figures such as peasants and festive scenes that seem to spring from the canvas. Her paintings, full of stories and anecdotes, function as windows into the soul of this French region.
This exhibition at the Centre d’Art Contemporain d’Aubenas offers an immersion into his artistic world. Visitors will be able to explore a retrospective of his work, from early paintings to recent creations, each piece accompanied by sound installations in which Lattier shares the contexts and stories behind his images. A multimedia section also reveals his techniques and his integration of text into art, offering an insight into his creative process.
It highlights his ability to transcend traditional artistic categories, presenting a living testimony to the traditions of the Ardèche. It is intended not only as a celebration of his work, but also as an exploration of how art can document and preserve the cultural heritage of a region.
The solo exhibition will run at the Château d’Aubenas from 5 July 2024 to 5 January 2025.
Summer visit 2024
Living in the World, visit to the 2024 exhibition, Château d’Aubenas in Ardèche:
Castle and art centre in practice
In a pedestrian zone with car parks nearby, here is some practical information about the Château d’Aubenas and its contemporary art centre.
Opening hours
Open all year round:
- Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Wednesdays from 12 to 9 pm
Museum prices
Here are the prices for admission to the Musée d’Art Contemporain and the Château d’Aubenas:
- Full price: €9
Reduced: €6
Family: €20
From 1 to 2 adults and up to 4 children under the age of 18
Family pass: €20 - Annual pass for Albenians: €12
- Free
Children under 10
History, art history and art school students
Beneficiaries of the allowance for people with disabilities and their companions
Lecturers and national, regional and auxiliary guide-interpreters
Holders of an ICOM card
Holders of a press card
How to get to Aubenas castle
How do I get to Aubenas castle and where can I find it in the town?
Access routes
At the crossroads of the Massif-Central, the Cévennes and the Ardèche valley, the town can be reached via the N102. Here are a few routes into Aubenas from the 4 points of the compass:
Coming by bus
Aubenas has a bus station with links to the Rhône Valley, the Occitanie region and the Massif Central. You can easily get here by bus, for example from the Valence or Avignon TGV stations.
- Focus on the Aubenas bus station:
Location
The Château d’Aubenas and its contemporary art museum are located in the centre of the town, on the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville:
Where to stay in and around Aubenas?
And to help you find a hotel or rental property for your stay, here’s a suggestive map and a few tips:
Aubenas castle in the Ardèche
Official website of the Aubenas centre for contemporary art and heritage:
- Map of museums in France
- Atlas of historic monuments and heritage