“The most important Sérusier collection in the world” is moving to a Breton village

"It's impressive, I didn't think there could really be all that here...", say, still amazed, tourists who have come to stop off in Châteauneuf-du-Faou (Finistère), a pretty village of 2,700 souls and with old stones characteristic of the heart of the Monts d'Arrée where the famous painter Paul Sérusier and his wife, also an artist, engraved their name. You can admire their house there, in which they settled for good during the last part of their lives, as well as the remarkable Saint-Julien church which contains sublime decorations (nave and baptistery) painted for the town by Sérusier himself.

But Châteauneuf-du-Faou's greatest treasure today is its Sérusier collection, housed in a brand new, dedicated 566m² museum located behind the town hall ( All practical information here: https://museeserusier.bzh/ ). No fewer than 2,010 of the couple's works are on display for visitors across 270m² of exhibition space. A €3.5 million project to which the Musée d'Orsay has graciously contributed by lending two paintings. "It can be said that today it is the most important Sérusier collection in the world, even ahead of the greatest museums in the greatest capitals," enthuses Tugdual Braban, the mayor of Châteauneuf-du-Faou.

"We have a third of Paul's works, a third of Marguerite's, and works by other artists from their circle," explains Anne Le Duigou, project manager for the creation of the Sérusier Museum. "In total, a third of this collection is made up of paintings, the rest of prints, drawings, and objects that belonged to the Sérusiers, such as palettes, walking sticks, and Paul's hat, for example." The particularity of the Sérusier collection in Châteauneuf is that, from decade to decade, significant bequests from residents who live or have lived in the commune have been added to the current collection.

During his stays in Brittany, the Nabi "with the shining beard" walked between Pont-Aven and the Huelgoat forest, in the Monts d'Arrée. This is how he stopped in Châteauneuf-du-Faou. "He passed through there for the first time in 1891," explains Anne Le Duigou, "then stayed six months in 1894 and stayed there for longer and longer periods until he had his house built there in 1906." And lived there for good.

Marguerite, who was his student at the Académie Rançon, soon joined him and lived with him. "He was greatly inspired, as can be seen in the paintings, by local landscapes and traditions... He participated enormously in local life, building theater sets for the parish and schools. And what he did in the church is, of course, incredible!"

This is how some locals, some of the older ones now, were able to cross paths with the couple and donate or bequeath to the museum objects that belonged to them or that tell part of their story. "Since the museum opened, we have been contacted by people who, touched by our project, also want to exhibit, in one way or another, what they own at home," says Tugdual Braban. The call is launched...