Barbara Gouget has taken charge of the Museum of Fine Arts in Nîmes. She succeeds Pascal Trarieux, who retired after having held the position of museum curator for twenty-two years.
Originally from Lyon, Barbara Gouget (34 years old) holds a bachelor’s degree in art history and a master’s degree in museology from the École du Louvre, where she specializes in Indian art. and Indianized countries. She also holds a research master’s degree in contemporary art history from the Université Lumière Lyon II.
After a brief stint at the Musée des Emaux et de la Mosaïque de Briare as head of the museum (2016-2017), Barbara Gouget was appointed head of the fine arts collections of the Musées de Montbéliard in 2017. She also held the position as interim director in 2018, before becoming deputy director from 2020.
Now director of the Nîmes Museum of Fine Arts, Barbara Gouget intends to make the museum more accessible by opting for a thematic route rather than chrono-geographical and by setting up new labels, particularly for children. “One of my priorities is to do more mediation and create content to read in addition to the visual” she explains. It also plans to free up space to set up a room dedicated to temporary exhibitions.
Founded in 1821, the Museum of Fine Arts of Nîmes has been installed in its current building since 1907, located in the south of the city. Its collections include around 3,600 works, including numerous regional paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries but also paintings and drawings from the Italian, Nordic and French schools from the 15th to the 18th century.
The museum will soon host the Contemporaine de Nîmes, the new triennial of contemporary creation organized by the City. This first edition, entitled “A new youth”, will take place from April 5 to June 23, 2024.
The Nîmes Museum of Fine Arts.