Traveling in France: Colmar (Part 3 of 4)

Our visit to Colmar continues.

Colmar is home to a wonderful museum, the Musée Unterlinden, founded in 1849.

Musée Unterlinden

Located in a former Dominican monastery from the 1200's, the museum has a collection of art and artifacts spanning the ages--from the Gallo-Roman era to the present.  

Musée Unterlinden

The building still has a large cloister, with a Christmas tree.

One of Colmar's favorite sons is the medieval artist, Martin Schongauer.  Below is a statue of Schongauer sculpted by another favorite son of Colmar.    

The flowers in the painting were beautifully rendered.

Below are more medieval works of art.

Saint Wendelin

The prized possession of the collection is the Retable d'Issenheim (the Altarpiece of Issenheim).  The town of Issenheim is located near Colmar.  The altarpiece dates from the early 1500's and is displayed in the monastery's former chapel.

The chapel has lovely stained glass windows.

A view of the chapel from the loft

The altarpiece is so important that the museum has a sculpted copy for the visually impaired.

The museum features artifacts from Alace's history, including a cave, or cellar, filled with winemaking tools.  

Colmar was once a Roman town and includes many artifacts from the Gallo-Roman era.

Displaying great variety, the same museum also features modern and contemporary art, including works by well-known artists and by Colmar artists, as shown below.

Jean-Claude especially liked the painting below, the Alsatian Couple.  The faces are the painting's best feature.

 

One work of art caught us by surprise--a tapestry that is a full-sized replica of Pablo Picasso's masterpiece Guernica.

Please take a close look at the painting below.  The painting is a tribute to another work of art in the museum, one already featured in this post.   

Next Up:  Another museum in Colmar, with an American connection