International Sculpture Festival

The International Sculpture Festival: Montauban at the Heart of Creation

The city of Montauban has maintained a special connection with sculpture for centuries. Homeland of Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929), one of the greatest French sculptors of modernity and master to Alberto Giacometti and Henri Matisse, Montauban is naturally destined to host a festival dedicated to this major art form. The International Sculpture Festival perpetuates this heritage by integrating contemporary sculpture into the urban and patrimonial fabric of the city of Montauban.

Organized over two weeks in early summer by the association Espace Bourdelle Sculpture — a sculpture school founded in 1998 by sculptor Christian André-Acquier — the festival takes over five emblematic locations in Montauban: the Maison du Crieur, the Hall du Conseil Départemental de Tarn-et-Garonne, the Espace Bourdelle, the Espace des Augustins, and La Petite Comédie. The entire city thus becomes a temporary open-air museum, accessible to all free of charge.

Sculptors in Action Before the Public

One of the unique features of the International Sculpture Festival lies in the emphasis placed on live demonstrations. French and foreign sculptors work in public, revealing their creative process, techniques, and materials. The public witnesses the birth of a work in real-time: direct carving in stone, clay modeling, metal assembly, wood carving, repurposed industrial felt, mural engraving.

These live creation sessions constitute a valuable educational moment, demystifying artistic practice and creating a direct link between artists and visitors of all ages. Children, in particular, are invited to approach, ask questions, and sometimes even touch the materials at work.

Participatory Workshops

In addition to the demonstrations, the festival offers artistic practice workshops led by invited sculptors or specialized instructors. These workshops, accessible to beginner adults as well as children, provide an introduction to various sculptural techniques in a friendly and creative atmosphere. School sessions are also organized in conjunction with local educational institutions.

A Unifying Theme for Each Edition

Each edition of the festival is organized around a unifying theme that guides artist invitations and directs the exhibition program. After « Complementarity » in 2025, the 2026 edition adopts the theme « Instant & Materials », which explores the dialogue between the artistic gesture, the time of creation, and the transformation of matter — a sensitive look at the creative moment, where sculpture becomes imprint, trace, and living memory.

This thematic thread provides intellectual and aesthetic coherence to the entire event, while allowing artists complete freedom of interpretation and creation.

A Festival in the City, a City in Sculpture

Beyond the dedicated exhibition spaces, the festival invests Montauban's public spaces by installing monumental works in the city's streets, squares, and gardens. These temporary installations transform the daily lives of residents and invite passers-by to a new perspective on their environment.

Some works created during the festival are then permanently integrated into Montauban's sculpted heritage, enriching the open-air sculpture park that the city builds up over the editions.

Montauban, City of Arts and Bourdelle

Antoine Bourdelle's legacy hovers over the festival as both a reference and an invitation. The Musée Ingres-Bourdelle and the Espace Bourdelle, which houses workshops and exhibitions, are at the heart of the festival's setup. Thematic guided tours allow visitors to connect the work of invited contemporary sculptors with Montauban's great sculptural tradition.