Musée Réattu

Historic spaces beside the Rhône

Housed in the former Grand Priory of the Order of Malta at 10 Rue du Grand Prieuré in Arles, Musée Réattu brings together historic buildings and courtyards near the Rhône. The City lists five of its spaces in its temporary venue-hire scheme: two Sainte-Luce rooms, the Sainte-Luce courtyard, the Grand-Prieuré courtyard and the Saliers courtyard. Organisers can propose a cultural, association or corporate event in this heritage setting, subject to municipal approval and the museum’s availability.

Selecting the rooms and event area

The two rooms and three courtyards are listed separately in the municipal documents. Requests should therefore specify whether they concern an indoor room, a courtyard or a combination of spaces. The City reviews the event’s purpose and sets the conditions of use. The documents consulted do not state reception capacities for these spaces: attendance, installations and circulation routes must be approved for the proposed layout. The museum’s visits for groups of 10–30 people are a separate cultural activity.

Private hire assessed individually

Private events closed to the public require an individually approved agreement and price. The municipal schedule effective from 1 January 2024 applies to a different scheme, covering events open to the public. It gives reference valuations per 24-hour period: €250 for Sainte-Luce room 1, €350 for Sainte-Luce room 2 and €100 for each of the three courtyards. These valuations are therefore not guaranteed private reception prices.

Within the public-event scheme, fees depend partly on the organiser’s status. Arles-based associations and charitable associations receive specific terms. Spaces are made available in their existing condition, and basic valuations include utilities. Equipment loans and additional services may incur extra charges. A successful application must result in a temporary occupancy authorisation formalised through an agreement.

Exploring the collections alongside an event

The museum grew out of the work and collection of the Arles painter Jacques Réattu. Its scope subsequently expanded to modern art, photography from 1965 and sound art, with a listening room inaugurated in 2008. This variety allows organisers to consider a cultural visit alongside an event, depending on the programme and the spaces accessible on the chosen date.

Group visits must be booked at least fifteen days ahead for 10–30 people and are unavailable on the first Sunday of the month. The advertised self-guided group rate is €6 per person; a guided visit adds an €80 guide fee to reduced-price admission. These visits are organised separately from the hire of event spaces.

Access and planning with the museum

The Saliers courtyard and the ground-floor Musée Parallèle are wheelchair accessible. The rest of the museum occupies three levels with many staircases, so access to each booked space must be checked. Normal public opening runs Tuesday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. from March to October and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. from November to February. Event times are determined by the occupancy agreement. Contact the team on +33 4 90 49 37 58 or at musee.reattu@ville-arles.fr.

Photograph credit

Photograph of the façade of Musée Réattu beside the Rhône in Arles, taken on 20 August 2018 — Bjs / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Converted to WebP.