CAPC musée d'art contemporain

The CAPC musée d'art contemporain occupies the former Entrepôt Laîné at 7 Rue Ferrère in the Chartrons district of Bordeaux, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France. The warehouse was built in 1824 to store colonial goods such as coffee, cocoa, cotton and spices that arrived through the port, and it takes its name from Joseph Laîné, a Bordeaux politician who promoted its construction. The building is a monumental example of early 19th-century industrial architecture, with long stone and brick halls, a central nave, and vaulted bays supported by robust arches. It was abandoned as a warehouse and, in the 1970s, was converted into an arts centre, the Centre d'arts plastiques contemporains, which gave the museum its acronym. The conversion work, led by the architect Denis Valode with the designer Jean-Charles Pistre, preserved the character of the structure while adding walkways and exhibition spaces, and the museum opened in its current form in 1990. The building still bears traces of its commercial past, which gives a striking setting to the art on display. The programme focuses on international contemporary art from the 1960s onwards, including conceptual art, minimalism, installation and recent practice, with works by artists such as Richard Long, Sol LeWitt, Keith Haring and Jannis Kounellis in the collection. The curatorial approach is thematic, with temporary exhibitions and rehangs of the collection rather than a fixed chronological path, so the content changes often. The museum also hosts a programme of talks, education activities and events. In the Chartrons district, formerly home to the wine merchants and traders of the city, visitors can continue to antique shops, galleries and the Bassins à flot. The CAPC is a good complement to the more historical museums in the city centre, as its building itself is a piece of the port's commercial history. The building has been maintained in good condition, and the volume of its nave gives space for large installations.