Origin and history
The Gustave-Moreau Museum is a national museum located at 14, rue Catherine-de-La Rochefoucauld, in Paris 9th, in the former workshop of the symbolist painter Gustave Moreau (1826-1898). The building, acquired in 1852 by Moreau's parents, became his place of life and work until his death. In 1896, the hotel was enlarged and enhanced by one floor to display its monumental works. On September 10, 1897, Moreau bequeathed to the State the building and its 14,000 works (paintings, drawings, sculptures), provided that this collection reflects its artistic background. He died on 18 April 1898, and his legatee, the poet Henri Rupp, finalized the museum's layout, which was opened to the public on 14 January 1903.
The State accepts the donation in 1902, subject to a financial legacy of Rupp for maintenance. Georges Rouault, symbolist painter and pupil of Moreau, was the first curator (1903-1922), followed by George Desvallières from 1930. The museum, classified as a Historical Monument in 1979, undergoes major restorations: the painter's apartment opened in 1991, his reception office in 2003, and a global renovation in 2015 (museums plan 2011-2014) restores the ground floor to its original state, with the creation of reserves and a graphic art firm. Since 2017, it has been managed by the Meeting of National Museums and the Grand Palais, under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture.
The building, designed on three floors, preserves the family apartment on the 1st floor (dining room, bedroom, boudoir, office library) and workshops on the 2nd and 3rd floors, where 850 paintings, 350 watercolours and more than 13,000 drawings are displayed. The flagship works include Jupiter and Semélé (1895), Les Chimères (1884) and Le Retour des Argonautes (1891-1897). The museum also houses portraits of Moreau by Degas or Ricard, and a still life of Jan Fyt. The Association Les Amis du musée, founded in 1990, works to preserve and enhance this heritage.
The master of Moreau, François-Édouard Picot, had installed his workshop in this street (then rue La Rochefoucauld), in the heart of the New Athens district, popular with artists and writers in the 19th century. This subdivision, on the southern side of Montmartre, symbolized the Parisian bohemian and creative effervescence of the time. Moreau's studio house, acquired at 26, became the crucible of his art, where he accumulated a prolific production, marked by symbolism and mysticism. His will insists on preserving the "together" of his work, stressing the unity between his life and his art.
After his death, the museum was built according to his wishes, with public access as early as 1903. The successive restorations (1991, 2003, 2015) aimed to preserve the authenticity of the places, such as the design cabinets designed by Moreau himself. In 2023 Charles Villeneuve de Janti took over the leadership. The museum, served by line 12 of the metro (Trinity or Saint-Georges stations), attracts approximately 40,000 visitors annually, with increasing attendance after renovations. There remains an exceptional testimony of symbolistic art and the life of a total artist, where domestic intimacy and monumental creation blend together.
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