Address: 1, Avenue Marcel Pagnol
Phone: 04 42 20 01 09
http://www.fondationvasarely.frTraveler ReviewsAmazing
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on Aug 27, 2008
I was at the Foundation Vasarely as it was the venue for the "Terretoires electronique" music festival a few years ago. The venue is breathtaking and is such a contrast to the surrounding area. The building is full of interesting nooks and crannies and feels a bit like being in the 70s vision of what the future looks like. Brilliant place
Mind Bendingly Awesome
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on Dec 19, 2007
I really enjoyed the Foundation Vasarely. It's a totally different museum experience than any of the other ones you will visit in France. I didn't even know who Victor Vasarely was before I came here. He is famous for optical art, and everything in the museum screams it.
First, there's the building itself, which was designed by Vasarely. The outside looks really cool, with the huge silver and black circles on alternating backgrounds. The layout is like a bee honeycomb, where each room is one cell - so the building has many rooms but no hallways!
The art is part of the building, each wall being a separate gigantic work. The different things Vasarely does with light and geometric shapes is really fun and interesting to behold.
You MUST get the audio tour. While it costs extra, without the audio tour, nothing will make sense and you'll probably just walk through the museum in 20 minutes and think it is really boring. The audio tour adds a lot by explaining what is going on in each room and adding music and a description of the different works of art. It also has a lot of interesting stuff on Vasarely's history and philosophy as an artest. First I started off without it but quickly realized how necessary it is.
The museum is falling into a little bit of disrepair, though it doesn't detract from the experience too much. The water stains on the ceiling and the aging seats are very noticeable. It's kinda sad that more people don't go here and support it more.
The main problem is getting there. It's out on the outskirts of Aix-en-Provence, so you have to take one of the buses there from the city center. I recommend you ask at the Office of Tourism (on the roundabout at the west end of the Cours Mirabeau) about which bus to take. I think I took the 10 bus.
The fact that it's in the middle of nowhere (well, the suburbs) adds to the mysterioso weird vibe of the museum, and when you're approaching the building it feels like you're approaching the secret fortress of a James Bond villain.
Note that they are closed for lunch (1-2pm I believe) so come either before or after that. I got there at like 1 and had to wait around for an hour - and there is NOTHING around there!
