A university museum with an educational vocation, the Musée des Moulages was created in 1890 to conserve and exhibit study collections linked to the teaching of Archaeology (plaster casts of sculpture elements, antique original objects, photographic collections). Inaugurated on the occasion of the 6th centenary of Montpellier University, the museum was located in the Palais de l'Université, home to the Faculty of Letters.
The purchase, in 1904, of Didelot casts collection made it possible to broaden the historical periods presented, by introducing medieval art.
The museum, which followed the successive relocations of the Faculty of Letters, was installed in the 1960s in a specially designed building in the heart of the new Paul-Valéry University.
The classification of the plaster casts collection as a Historic Monument further confirmed its historical and heritage value. The preservation and enhancement of the university's historical heritage contributes to anchoring the identity and cultural singularity of Paul-Valéry University, whose campus was awarded the "20th century heritage" label.
To this end, the University renovation project for the Musée des Moulages, has received scientific and/or financial support from external partners, aware of the historical and heritage value of the museum and the university collections : Regional Conservation of Historic Monuments - DRAC Occitanie, Louvre Museum, Barcelona National Museum of Catalan Art, Fabre Museum, Lattara Archaeological Site - Henri - Prades Museum, Labex Archimede and the Region.
The Musée des Moulages, an educational tool and "ornament" of the former Faculty of Letters, is today a key part of Paul-Valéry University. It is both a historical record of teaching and scientific research at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, a testimony to the development of the scientific community, and an actor in the cultural life of the university, thanks to scientific, artistic and cultural events regularly organised there.
Museum Management and Curatorship
- Rosa PLANA, Director, Professor of Greek Archaeology and Art History
- Rodolphe MARTINEZ, Audience Development and Mediation Manager
- Alexia SEGUIN, Guide, Collection and Communication Manager
- Karima HIRECH, Administrative and Financial Manager
- Audrey GUIGOU, Brice NIES, Alexy DELAHAYE, Non-tenured Students
Scientific and Cultural Correspondents
- Christophe CHANDEZON, Professor, Greek History
- Adrien DELAHAYE, Associate Professor, Greek Archaeology
- Géraldine MALLET, Professor, Medieval Art History
- Jean-François PINCHON, Professor, Contemporary Art History
- Isabelle RÉGEN, Research Engineer, Ancient Egypt
- Elsa ROCCA, Associate Professor, Roman Archaeology
- Réjane ROURE, Professor, Protohistoric Archaeology
- Antoine VERDIER, Associate Professor, Art
Partnership agreements
- DRAC Languedoc-Roussillon/Midi-Pyrenees
- Louvre Museum - Paris
- Fabre Museum - Montpellier3M
- Henri Prades Museum - Lattara Archaeological Site - Montpellier3M
