And moving right alone on my last forays into lovely Morbihan in beautiful Brittany let me show you a gem off the beaten path to many. I have come here and visited the market, this weekend I visit a bit more …. easy does live not far about an hour drive from it. There is so much to see in my belle France!
As not really done a post on the town, let me tell you a bit on it on the museum part as it is relevant historical wise me think. I will tell you about other places in future posts in my blog. For now let me show you the town and museum of Fine Arts of Le Faouët ! oh yes French speakers will know by the Musée des Beaux-Arts!
Le Faouët is part of the Cornouaille Morbihannaise. Its territory is bounded on the west by the course of the brook Mill du Duc bordering Le Saint, on the south-west by that of the river Inam bordering Guiscriff and Lanvénége; and to the east by that of the river Ellé bordering the towns of Priziac and Meslan. The confluence of Ellé and Inam rivers is the southern end of the town. The city is located on a hill that rises to 152 meters above sea level. The departmental road D769, a fast track connecting Lorient to Roscoff, bypasses the east by a large curve-beltway. I went inland thru the D102 past Languidic and Plouay into the D769 to Le Faouët.
A bit of history I like!
Le Faouët was the seat of a lordship, the town probably having its existence to a castle destroyed during the War of Succession of Britain in the 14C. The lordship was erected in barony in 1495 by the Duchess Anne of Brittany. This town is cited for having participated in the revolt of the Bonnets rouges (red hats) or Revolt of the stamped paper (money) which occurred in 1675 .This small town becomes famous by the activities of Marion du Faouët, leader of a gang of thieves. Le Faouët became chief town of a district from 1790 to 1795; there is thus created a district court. The city quickly acquired revolutionary ideas while the surrounding countryside became hostile. The city is attacked three times by the Chouans (rebels vs the French revolution) during this troubled period.
From 1860 to 1920, Le Faouët became one of the main artistic centers of inland Brittany, attracting many French and foreign painters and photographers. Their arrival was facilitated by the arrival of the railway at Quimperlé in 1865, a town 26 km away, then at Faouet even in 1906. The artists are housed mainly in the two hotels, the Lion d’Or and La Croix d ‘ Or, overlooking the Place des Halles, which equips artists’ studios and black rooms for photographers. Their favorite subjects are the scenes of markets and daily life, giving the image of an immutable Brittany rooted in the past, as well as the monuments, mainly the 16C market halls and the chapels of Faouët and the region, as well as as the surrounding landscapes.
Among these painters, were the English Guy Wilthew, who lives at the Hôtel de la Croix d’Or, marries one of the daughters of the painter Louis-Marie Le Leuxhe and regularly stays at Faouet until his death. Also, Alphonse Le Leuxhe, began a career as an artist-painter, prematurely interrupted by his death during WWI. Many others who frequented Le Faouët were the Welsh gentleman Sydney Curnow Vosper the Belgian Oscar Chauvaux, naturalized French, also stayed several times at Faouët at the beginning of the 20C before becoming in 1934 curator of the Locronan Museum. Three painters set up a permanent workshop here: the Frenchmen Germain David-Nillet, who came to Faouët for the first time in 1902, and Arthur Midy, as well as the Swiss Marius Borgeaud, who spent only a few years in Faouët between 1920 and 1922 , staying mainly in Rochefort-en-Terre. Many other painters came more briefly like Fernand Legout-Gerard, Emile Compard, Auguste Leroux, Henri Barnoin, Charles River, Emile Schmidt-Vehrlin Robert Yan, Étienne Buffet, Jean-Bertrand Pégot-Ogier, Henry Déziré, Alfred Swieykowski, etc. or Jeanne-Marie Barbey, also a photographer. Elisabeth Sonrel also stays, realizing several works at Le Faouët, painting including Woman and children on the place des Halles du Faouët circa 1910, now in the Musée du Faouët.
Tourist office of the Morbihan dept 56 on Le Faouet
The museum of Faouët,or Musée de Faouët is a museum of paintings inaugurated in 1987 in a former convent of the Ursulines of the 17C, at No. 1 rue de Quimper. The museum presents a collection of drawings, paintings, engravings and sculptures, testifying to the daily life in Le Faouët from 1845 to 1945. From the middle of the 19C, the rich heritage and traditions of Le Faouët attracted many French artists and foreigners to inland Brittany.
The first core of the municipal collection was formed on the eve of WWI at the initiative of Victor Robic, mayor of the time. An artist at his leisure, he maintains friendly relations with the artists frequenting the locality and at the same time encourages them to donate one or more of their works to the town of Le Faouët. A first museum was inaugurated in 1914, in the City/Town Hall. In 1987, the town acquires the former Ursuline Convent, which was then put on sale. This allows the development of a municipal collection threatened by oblivion. This also favors the organization of exhibitions devoted to artists who often frequented the small city, or to broader themes, generally related to the history of arts in Brittany.
The museum presents the works of artists such as François Hippolyte Lalaisse Emmanuel Lansyer, Jules Trayer, Henri Guinier, Elizabeth Sonrel, Guy Wilthew, Germain David-Nillet, Arthur Midy, Henry of Estienne, Adolphe Beaufrere, Ernest Guerin, Emile Compard, Mathurin Méheut, Henri Alphonse Barnoin, Charles Riviere, Marius Borgeaud, Auguste Leroux, Fernand Daucho, Chauvaux Oscar, Lucien-Victor Delpy, Lucien Demouge, etc.
The current exhibition is entitled , “ Des Peintres entre Terre et Mer du Faouêt à Concarneau” or painters between land and sea at Concarneau all shown until October 6 2019. More info at the Museums of Brittany webpage here:Official museums of Brittany on Museum of Faouet
Some additional webpages to help you plan your trip here are
City of Le Faouet on the museum
Local tourist office of Pays du roi Morvan on the museum
Tourist office of Brittany on the museum
There you go another dandy a wonderful place of great artisitc value in Brittany and France, one of the off the beaten path sites you must come. In my beautiful Morbihan dept 56 of my lovely Bretagne/Breizh/ Brittany. Come to see Le Faouet and its fine arts museum!
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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