THE DOM ROBERT MUSEUM : 1995-2015 : 20 years in the making

1995

Suzanne Goubely, at 87 years old, decided to have woven a set of Dom Robert tapestries with the aim to establish a collection to bequeath upon her death.

1997 

Upon her death on February 11th, 1997, the Abbey of En Calcat inherited all of Suzanne Goubely's assets, including her weaving workshop in Aubusson. In May 1997, upon the death of Dom Robert, the Abbey became the beneficiary of the artist. Among the monks, the idea arose of creating a large-scale collection as well as a museum to house it. Thus, from October 1997, under the name of the La Beauze, the Suzanne Goubely workshop went back into operation to weave an additional thirty cartoons of Dom Robert, all labelled non-tradable,( hors commerce, HC). Weaving continued until 2005, the year the workshop closed down definitively.   

1999 - 2003

The monks of En Calcat commissioned an initial study for the creation of a museum for Dom Robert's works, to be located within the administrative boundaries of Dourgne. They were backed by a steering committee, and the newly created Dom Robert Association had a seat at the table. The township of Dourgne issued their wish to welcome the museum.

In 2003 a major exposition of Dom Robert's work was organized by Roger Lagorsse (1930-2011), senator and Tarn councilman. It took place in Paris, at the Senate, in the Garden of Luxembourg Orangery. The success of the exposition confirmed the pertinence of a museum dedicated to Dom Robert.    

2005 - 2007

In 2005, the Tarn county administration presented a new study which validated a location in Dourgne. The scientific and cultural project of a Dom Robert Space was drawn up. Validated by the scientific committee in 2008, it laid out the major axes of the museum project and was to serve as the playbook for the technical studies of the museum's construction.   

2008-2015

The township of Dourgne withdrew from the project and the drivers of the Dom Robert museum project then shifted their attention towards the Abbey-school of Sorèze. Since 1994 the administrators of that site had been developing an ambitious plan for cultural and touristic development, given the large amount of available space within that body of buildings.

In 2009, a new steering committee was set up. The cultural and scientific project was tailored to the newly chosen site and the decision of the implantation of the museum in Sorèze was confirmed by a feasibility study.

In 2010 and 2011, both the studies of public finances and the search for private donors were launched. Programming entered an implementation phase with the drawing up of the specifications for the architectural design competition. The work was awarded to the Italian firm n!studio of Rome, at the time under the direction of Susanna Ferrini. The museum's scientific committee established the museum layout which served as the basis for the architects' preliminary project summary which was approved in early 2012. 

In 2012, the Abbey of En Calcat signed an agreement with the joint association governing the Abbey-school of Sorèze to put the works of Dom Robert the Abbey held on deposit at the museum. These included the works of Dom Robert and some of his contemporary artists, including tapestries, cartoons, drawings and watercolors. The museum's official name became the Musée Dom Robert et de la tapisserie du XXème siècle, (Museum of Dom Robert and 20th century tapestries). 

In the spring of 2013, under the direction of the GBMP general building contractor, ground was broken for the museum.

By the end of 2014, construction was finished. At the beginning of 2015, the museum furnishings were installed and the artworks were hung.

On April 11th, 2015, the museum was inaugurated and then opened to the general public.