The Friends of the Museum of Fine Arts, Bordeaux's oldest cultural association, is launching its 2025-2026 season of art history lectures on September 19th. The organization will offer 28 lectures covering diverse topics including Paul Cézanne, German art of the 1920s, and the Statue of Liberty, all at remarkably affordable prices that continue the association's eight-decade mission of making art history accessible to everyone.
For 80 years, the Friends of the Museum of Fine Arts has maintained its commitment to democratizing art history education. The association, which traces its roots back to 1783 under various names and stands as the oldest cultural organization in Bordeaux, continues to offer exceptional value with season passes priced at just 60 euros for all 28 lectures. This pricing strategy has proven successful, with the organization recording approximately 12,000 attendances annually.
According to President Marie-Claire Mansencal, the lectures regularly fill the Athénée Municipal, where the association hosts its speakers. "The Athénée Municipal, where we welcome our lecturers, is regularly full," Mansencal said with satisfaction. The audience consists of both annual members, numbering around 1,000 each year, and occasional attendees who select specific lectures based on their interests in particular subjects.
The association has made special efforts to attract younger audiences, successfully drawing approximately 200 students last year with discounted admission prices of just 2 euros per lecture. All lectures are scheduled at 6 p.m. every Friday throughout the academic year, excluding school holidays, providing consistent opportunities for art education.
The lecture series focuses on painting and sculpture while providing historical context for the creation of significant artworks. This season's programming logically features renowned masters including Van Gogh, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and notably Vermeer, who had been surprisingly overlooked in previous seasons. The comprehensive approach ensures attendees gain both artistic appreciation and historical understanding of the periods in which these masterworks were created.
