A contemporary building created within the walls of William the Conqueror's ducal castle houses the Caen Museum of Fine Arts, in the capital of Calvados.
From the 14th century to the present day, around 350 paintings provide a complete overview of European painting. The French, Italian, Flemish and Dutch collections spanning the 16th and 17th centuries, as well as a unique set of etchings, make it one of France's most important museums.
The collections covering the 16th and 17th century include Perugino, Veronese, Tintoretto, Poussin, Champaigne, Rubens and Ruysdael; for the 18th century, Boucher, Rigaud and Tiepolo; for the 19th century, Romantic and Realist painters such as Courbet, Delacroix and Géricault, Impressionists like Monet and Boudin; then Cubists and contemporaries such as Braque, Dufy and Soulages.
Don't miss the prints room, with a total of around 50,000 works making up the Mancel Collection, and an extensive programme of activities for adults, families and young people.
To round off the visit, a walk in the sculpture park is a must, to see masterpieces by Rodin, Bourdelle, Marta Pan, Huang Yong Ping and Alain Kirili.
