Musée Louis Vouland

The Musée Louis Vouland, at 17 Rue Victor Hugo in Avignon, is a decorative arts museum in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, housed in a private mansion built in the early 20th century for the industrialist Louis Vouland. Vouland, who made his fortune in food canning, collected French furniture, ceramics and objets d'art over several decades and bequeathed the house and its contents to the city in 1978. The museum has been open to the public since 1985. The rooms hold 17th and 18th-century French furniture, tapestries, Moustiers and Marseille faience, Strasbourg porcelain, silverware, clocks and paintings, along with a distinct collection of Chinese porcelain and a set of Far Eastern pieces. A particular attraction is the collection of Aubusson tapestries and the dining and drawing rooms, which retain their period settings. Visitors take about an hour to view the collection, and the museum is small and quiet, with few crowds at any time of year. The museum usually opens in the afternoon, Tuesday to Saturday, with seasonal variations, so confirming times on site or with the tourist office is advisable. Admission is about EUR 6. The mansion lies about eight minutes on foot from Place de l'Horloge, in the southern part of the old town, close to the Musée Calvet and the Musée Angladon, so the three can be combined into an afternoon of lesser-known museums.