Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec is the center of art from ancient to modern and contemporary with more than 40000 works. The collection of the museum dates back from the 17th century to the present day. It can be said that this unique place in the center of Québec art and artists. If ever planning to visit or already on the eastern coast of Canada or the United States of America, this museum should be on your places to see the list. Museum also knowns as a National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec but its original name is more common among the people. Because of that, I will continue with its original name from now.
History of Musée National des beaux-arts du Québec
In 1920, the Québec government established an area named Musée de la province to be the cultural place for the people. The first building of the province, the Archives du Québec started to be constructed in 1927 and finished in 1933. Archives du Québec opened its door on 5th June 1933 with its natural science and fine arts collections. Archives du Québec served as a provisional archive, art, and natural art museum until the natural science collection was removed in 1962. One year after removing the natural science collection name of the Archives du Québec change to the Musée du Québec in 1963. In 1979, Archives du Québec moved to Laval University.
Until 2002, the museum holds so many important collections that attract thousands of people. In the year 2002 name of the museum change to Musée National des beaux-arts du Québec after the adoption of Bill 125 by the National Assembly. Actually there are four more different building serves as a museum at the Battlefield Park. So we can say that this place is a museum complex. I will give brief information about each building to help you to have an idea about all the museums and plan your trip.
Gérard-Morisset Pavilion
The first building built for the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec is the Gérard-Morisset Pavilion. Construction studies started around May 1928 and finished the first quarter of 1931. Gérard-Morisset Pavilion opened to the public in June 1933. The building is really fascinating with its marble, Victorian-style steps, carved ceilings.
Charles Baillairgé Pavilion
The second used by the museum is the Charles Baillairgé Pavilion. Charles Baillairgé Pavilion used as a prison until 1970. After two years long renovation after the acquiring of the property, finally in May 1991 the building opened as a new home of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec.
Central Pavilion
A glass-dome shaped pyramid known also as a Central Pavillion or Grand Hall built between 1998 and 1991 as a museum’s visitor center of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec. Also, you can see the picture of the Central Pavillion from the first picture of the post. Central Pavillion is located between the Gérard-Morisset Pavilion with the Charles Baillairgé Pavilion.
Pierre Lassonde Pavilion
The last building of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec is the Pierre Lassonde Pavilion. Pierre Lassonde Pavilion started to construct in 2013 and the building opened in June 2016. Also, Pierre Lassonde Pavilion is very close to the Saint-Dominique Chruch where is another place worth to see around the Battlefield Park.
Where is The Musée National des beaux-arts du Québec?
The museum is located over the Grande Allée, very close to the center of the city, Old Québec. Bus stops of lines 11 and 295 just in front of the main entrance of the museum. Unfortunately, there are no tram or metro lines at Québec but the buses are very efficient. Also, if you come to the Québec by train, you can take 30-40 minutes of walk from the main train station to the museum. You can find your walking route from this link. Also, you can the walking route on the interactive map.
Entrance Fee of The Musée National des beaux-arts du Québec
The museum is open every expects Monday. In addition to Monday, it is also closed at Easter Monday and National Patriots Day (18th May). However from time to time depending on the type of activity some of the buildings in the museum complex may be closed. Please check the museum website to get the latest information. The entrance fee and ticket prices vary between 7 to 48 USD. You may find all the information about the entrance fee, ticket prices and opening-closing hours of the Musée National des beaux-arts du Québec. Exhibitions of the museum regularly change and a new one start from time to time. Because of this situation, I just don’t want to add a list of the exhibitions. You can check the exhibition is currently held in the place from this link.
| Day | Opening Hour | Closing Hour |
| Monday | CLOSED | |
| Tuesday | 10.00 | 17.00 |
| Wednesday | 10.00 | 19.00 |
| Thursday | 10.00 | 17.00 |
| Friday | 10.00 | 17.00 |
| Saturday | 10.00 | 17.00 |
| Sunday | 10.00 | 17.00 |
| Type of Ticket | Entrance Fee (USD) |
| Adults | 22 |
| Seniors (65 and over) | 20 |
| Ages 18 to 30 | 12 |
| Ages 13 to 17 | 7 |
| Children (12 and under) | Free |
| Families (2 adults and 3 children 13-17) | 48 |
| Families (1 adult and 3 children 13-17) | 26 |
| Wednesdays (17.00 to 19.00) | %50 discount |
| Members | Free |
| Cloakroom | Free |
| Groups | Depends |
Please check the interactive map given at the end of the post to get an idea about the places and more. Also, I will be very happy if you share your suggestions to improve the interactive map to be more helpful to other people. If you ever visited Musée National des beaux-arts du Québec fell free to share your experiences in the comment section.
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