Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The French Museum of the playing card is a unique establishment in France, entirely dedicated to the world of playing cards. Created in 1981 and inaugurated in 1997 in premises designed by architect Philippe Jean, it is based on a collection initiated in 1930 by a donation to the city of Issy-les-Moulineaux. The museum, housed in a modern building adjacent to the Conti Pavilion (late eighteenth century), houses more than 26,000 works, including 7,000 card games, engravings, posters and objects related to the history of gambling around the world.

The museum explores various themes: the French "regional portraits" under the Ancien Régime, European maps (German, Italian, Spanish), Asian creations (China, India, Japan) with original forms, as well as the manufacturing, regulation and playful or divinatory uses of maps. It also offers temporary exhibitions, biennials of contemporary art, workshops and conferences, as well as a documentation centre specialized in playing cards and aviation, Issy-les-Moulineaux being the cradle of the latter.

In 1999, the museum received the European Museum Prize, recognizing its innovative approach combining playful scenography and historical rigour. Since 2023, he has begun an architectural and scenographic renovation, while continuing to attract a record audience, as evidenced by the exhibition Magic, Pokémon & Co (2022-2023), which welcomed 37,552 visitors. The museum also participates in the edition of card games, in collaboration with authors and publishers, such as the Mystery Museum game created with Bruno Faidutti in 2008.

The museum journey plays on the metaphor of the game, with dynamic spaces (sliding furniture, images projections) and a refined atmosphere. The Conti Pavilion, a former pavilion of Conti's Princes Castle, hosts the City's History Gallery, retracing the local past, the beginnings of aviation and artists related to Issy. The museum alternates between exhibitions on playing cards, the history of Issy-les-Moulineaux and contemporary creation, particularly at the Biennale d'Issy.

The collections cover extra-European civilizations (Japan, India, China), industrial techniques (printing), and ethnological objects such as Indian ganjifas or Italian tarot. The museum collaborates with institutions such as the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) and local associations, such as Les Arches, for hybrid exhibitions combining heritage and contemporary art. Its outreach extends beyond France, with international partnerships and eclectic programming, combining heritage, innovation and cultural mediation.

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