--- title: "Musée François Pompon, Saulieu: Animal Sculptures to See" description: "Sleek animal sculptures by the Saulieu-born artist of the White Bear, beside the basilica. Allow an hour, about an hour from Beaune with a private driver." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/musee-francois-pompon lang: en updated: 2026-09-30 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/musee-francois-pompon.png --- # François Pompon Museum (Musée François Pompon) > François Pompon Museum: Sleek animal sculptures by the Saulieu-born artist who made the famous White Bear. François Pompon Museum is in Saulieu (Côte-d'Or), 57 min by road (70 km) from Beaune. Allow 1 hour · Private driver from Beaune: €200 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. In a 17th-century town house beside the basilica, Saulieu's museum honours François Pompon, the sculptor of smooth, simplified animals. His gallery sits alongside rooms on Gallo-Roman Saulieu, religious art, Morvan rural life and the town's great chefs. It is a small museum with a strong personality. ## Key facts - Type: Museums - Where: Saulieu · Côte-d'Or - Location: 55 km north-west of Beaune · Côte-d'Or - Coordinates: 47.2797, 4.2302 - 57 min from Beaune - Allow 1 hour - Saulieu - Official website: [saulieu.fr](https://saulieu.fr/le-musee-francois-pompon/) - From Beaune: ≈ 57 min · 70 km - €200 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 57 min by road (70 km), €200 one way for the whole car. Coming by train or plane? [Transfers from stations and airports](https://www.cote-privee.com/transfers) Estimates per vehicle for up to 4 guests, tolls included. Your price is confirmed when you book. ## History François Pompon was born in Saulieu on 9 May 1855, the son of a joiner. He trained as a stonecutter in Dijon, then worked in Paris for other sculptors, including Auguste Rodin, whose marble studio he ran from 1893. In 1905 he chose to sculpt only animals, polishing the surfaces and removing detail. Fame came late: his White Bear caused a sensation at the Salon d'Automne of 1922. In 1932, on a visit to his home town, Pompon chose a room in the municipal museum to hold his work. He died in Paris on 6 May 1933 and was buried in Saulieu beneath his bronze condor. The new museum opened on 22 July 1934 in the place he had chosen. It holds the Musée de France label, and a bronze Bull, unveiled in 1949, stands in the town. ## What you will see Upstairs, the Pompon gallery shows his animal sculptures, with their polished forms and economy of detail. Downstairs, granite stelae from the Gallo-Roman cemetery show the dead with the tools of their trade. Other rooms hold religious art, including a 12th-century Black Virgin, and scenes of Morvan country life. A room on gastronomy recalls Alexandre Dumaine and Bernard Loiseau, who made the Côte d'Or restaurant in Saulieu famous. ## Planning your visit Allow about an hour, and combine it with the basilica next door. Saulieu is about an hour from Beaune, on the way to the Morvan lakes. The museum is closed from January to March and on Tuesdays. Look out for Pompon's bronze Bull in the town. Please check the official website for opening times. ## Did you know? Pompon learned sculpture in Paris from Aimé Millet, the artist of the giant Vercingetorix statue at Alise-Sainte-Reine, less than an hour's drive from Saulieu. ## Around François Pompon Museum What to combine with François Pompon Museum on the same day, nearest first. ### Châteaux - [Château de Missery](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-missery) (11 km away): An 18th-century château set on a moated medieval platform, framed by its old round towers. - [Château de La Roche-en-Brenil](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-la-roche-en-brenil) (12 km away): A moated château on the edge of the Morvan, saved from demolition by the writer Charles de Montalembert. - [Château de Mont-Saint-Jean](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-mont-saint-jean) (13 km away): A hilltop medieval stronghold with a keep and ramparts, above a village of old stone houses. ### Things to do - [Basilica of Saint-Andoche, Saulieu (Basilique Saint-Andoche)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/basilique-saint-andoche-saulieu), 1 km away: A Romanesque church on the old Paris to Lyon road, famous for its carved capitals. - [Museum of the Resistance in the Morvan (Musée de la Résistance en Morvan)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/musee-de-la-resistance-en-morvan), 10 km away: The story of the Morvan maquis, told in the heart of the forests where they fought. - [Morvan Regional Nature Park (Parc naturel régional du Morvan)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/parc-naturel-regional-du-morvan), 10 km away: Burgundy's little mountain of granite, forests and lakes, with its park headquarters at Saint-Brisson. ### Restaurants - [La Côte d’Or (Relais Bernard Loiseau)](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/la-cote-d-or-saulieu), 1 km away · 2 MICHELIN stars: Bernard Loiseau's house in Saulieu: two stars and a century of Burgundian grand cuisine ### Events - **The Ascension weekend, from Thursday to Sunday.** · [Journées gourmandes du Grand Morvan](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/journees-gourmandes-du-grand-morvan): Saulieu's food fair on Ascension weekend, with cooking contests in a town famous for its great chefs. (Food & markets · Saulieu) ## Questions about François Pompon Museum ### How far is François Pompon Museum from Beaune? François Pompon Museum is about 57 min from Beaune by road (70 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €200 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to François Pompon Museum take? For the visit, allow 1 hour. ### When is François Pompon Museum open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (saulieu.fr) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to François Pompon Museum? Yes. Your driver collects you in Beaune or at your hotel in an electric Polestar 2 (up to 4 guests), waits while you visit and plans the rest of the day with you. The driver speaks English, French, Mandarin Chinese and Arabic. → [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=sight:pompon): €200 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - --- Canonical page: