Studio [see photos]

La Muse is proud to present our new art studio: a spacious room with both whitewashed and jointed exposed stonework, high ceilings, and ample daylight from windows, skylights and large doors that lead to the street.

In the art studio, La Muse hosts art shows once a month to exhibit work by attending and local artists and artisans. We also have long-term collections on view in the library and common areas of the house.

Use of the studio is free of charge for La Muse attendees.

The unique light and scenery of our region has been a muse to many famous artists. Provence might have had Cezanne and Van Gogh but Languedoc can boast Matisse, Picasso, Dali, Derain, Braque, Frédéric Bazille and many others. "Fauvism" was founded and formulated here. While in the area you could check out the places where these greats hung out, such as Collioure and Céret, where Chagall, Dali, and Picasso all lived and worked, and where there is an impressive modern art museum, Musée d'art moderne de Céret. Picasso and Braque developed Cubism both here and on the other side of the Pyrennes. The Goya and Toulouse-Lautrec museums are just north of us, near Toulouse-Lautrec's birthplace, Albi.

Going even further back, view prehistoric and medieval art of ancient sites and buildings such as the many former Cathar strongholds scattered all around our area. Around 200 cave paintings date from prehistoric times in the south of France, and Greek, Etruscan and Roman art flourished here and can still be seen everywhere, especially in places such as the nearby l'Oppidum d'Enserune, Rieux-Minervois, as well as more famous sites such as Nîmes' Carré d’Art and Carcassonne's Cité. In medieval times Languedoc was also the home to a sculptur known to art historians as "The Master of Cabestany" or Nicolas (The Arcadian Shepherds - Et in Arcadia Ego) in around 1638 and his famous painting plays a part in the Rennes-le-Château mystery. Languedoc is also the home to the troubadours - and so is considered by many historians to be the cradle of modern western culture.