A week-end dedicated to culture in Tours
The Olivier Debre Contemporary Art centre, or CCC OD, has put the spotlight on Tours, a city which already has a reputation for its laid-back lifestyle and also now for its rich, diverse cultural programme. Here’s a look at some of the spots to discover if you’re on a city break.
The CCC OD
The latest newcomer first: officially opened in 2017, the Olivier Debré Contemporary Art Centre (alias CCC OD) is an exhibition hall that aims to generate a dialogue between the work by Loire artist Olivier Debré and the artwork created by talents from the contemporary global art scene (Lee Ufan, Klaus Rinke and Per Barclay among the most recent).
In a striking building designed by the renowned Aires Mateus brothers, the CCC OD is an approachable, accessible venue, including for non-specialists. So everyone is welcome!
CCC OD
The Museum of Fine Arts
With its vast collection of Flemish paintings and major works by early Italian painters, as well as a recently revamped 20th century area, the Museum of Fine Arts houses a splendid permanent collection. Initiatives such as the superb temporary exhibitions and more quirky ones like the ‘Karaoké conferences’ and ‘Paintings for tasting’ or those based on state-of-the-art augmented reality are also all good reasons to visit a museum which is constantly renewing itself.
The Museum of Fine Arts
National Drama Centre of Tours
Every year, under the leadership of Jacques Vincey, the teams at the National Drama Centre of Tours carve out an audacious programme of contemporary works and revisited classical works. Here’s a link to the programme.
Tours Opera House
The spectacle here is not just on stage, but also in the building’s architecture! With its superb façade, enormous staircase, Italian-style theatre and paintings on the ceilings, in many respects the 19th century Opera House of Tours bears a resemblance to the Garnier Opera House. Beautiful décor therefore, but also a wonderful programme spearheaded by the young, talented conductor Benjamin Pionnier, with lyrical pieces, operas and symphonic works which are already known or to be rediscovered.
National Choreographic Centre (CNN)
High-profile performer and choreographer Thomas Lebrun has turned the CCN into a major venue of the French art scene. For the 2017/2018 season, its teams have once again put together an extremely enticing programme, featuring ‘Heures curieuses’ by Eva Klimackova, ‘Another look at Memory’ by Thomas Lebrun and ‘Le Bain’ by Gaëlle Bourges.
National Choreographic Centre (CNN)