The Musée de Picardie is the main museum of Amiens and Picardy, at 48, rue de la République. Its collections stretch from prehistory to the 19th century and form one of the largest regional museums in France.
Its building was purpose-built for a regional museum (one of France's first such buildings) between 1855 and 1867. The architects were Henri Parent and Arthur-Stanislas Diet. It was built thanks to militant action by the Société des Antiquaires de Picardie, keen to give the city somewhere to house the collections the society had gathered over decades.
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Housed in the basement from
12th to 16th centuries, with the main pieces being the Puys d'Amiens, masterpieces of Gothic art from Amiens Cathedral.
French and foreign painters from 17th to 20th centuries, with artists such as:
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes painted monumental frescoes on the museum's main staircase and first floor galleries[1], including the two large symbolic frescoes Peace and War (1861) and Work and Rest (1863).[2]
Located near Amiens Cathedral, the Hôtel de Berny is an annexe of the Musée de Picardie.