Contemporary Art in the Heart of Medieval Tours
You're standing on rue des Halles, a street that threads through the timber-framed heart of Vieux Tours, when you push open the door of Carré d'artistes. Inside, white walls frame paintings, sculptures, photographs and digital works—a deliberate contrast to the 15th-century facades surrounding you. The gallery sits steps from Place Plumereau, where cafés spill onto cobblestones, yet offers something quieter: a curated space where emerging and established artists, both local and international, show contemporary work alongside sales and conversation. This is where you slow down in a neighbourhood that otherwise hums with people day and night.
What You'll See and Do
- Browse rotating exhibitions of paintings, sculptures, photography and digital art selected by the gallery's curators
- Attend vernissage events—exhibition openings where you can meet artists and engage with their work in person
- Participate in workshops and discussions hosted throughout the year, a way to deepen your understanding of the work on display
- Inquire about purchases; the gallery operates as both exhibition space and sales venue
- Talk with the friendly staff, who are there to answer questions and help you understand the artistic choices on view
Making the Most of Your Visit
Plan to spend 30 minutes to an hour here, depending on the scale of the current exhibition and how much you want to linger. The gallery rewards a slow look—contemporary work often reveals itself gradually. Visit on a day when you're already exploring Vieux Tours, the Old Town's pedestrianised medieval streets centred on lively Place Plumereau, since Carré d'artistes sits within this neighbourhood. If a vernissage or workshop is scheduled during your stay, attend; these events offer the most direct encounter with the artistic community. The gallery's position near the Cathédrale Saint-Gatien means you can pair a visit with seeing the cathedral's Gothic façade and flying buttresses, or step into the adjacent Cloître de la Psallette.
What Else Is Nearby
From Carré d'artistes, you're positioned to explore the rest of Vieux Tours on foot. The Quartier Artisanal, just west on and around rue de la Monnaie, lets you watch craftsmen at work in their workshops. The Centre de Création Contemporaine Olivier Debré, the city's other major contemporary art venue, is accessible if you want a second gallery experience. The Musée des Beaux Arts, housed in the former Palace of the Archbishops and holding paintings by Debré, Degas, Monet and others, sits near the cathedral. If you want to venture slightly further, the Jardins Botaniques offers respite, and the ruins of the Prieuré de Saint Cosme, home of Renaissance poet Pierre de Ronsard, reward a bus journey to the suburb of La Riche.
Consider Carré d'artistes part of a longer afternoon in Vieux Tours—one gallery visit among many reasons to wander these streets where art, food, and medieval architecture intersect.