Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Musée Hébert de Paris was a monographic museum labeled Musée de France, created by the 1978 donation of René Patris-d'Uckermann, the adopted son of Gabrielle Hébert and heir to the painter Ernest Hébert (1817-1908). Located in an 18th-century mansion (85, rue du Cherche-Midi), it presented works and objects belonging to the artist. The facades of the building, called a small hotel in Montmorency, have been protected since 1926 as historical monuments. The museum, which has been administered by the Orsay Museum since 2004, has been permanently closed due to structural degradation and prohibitive renovation costs.

The initial legacy included the building, collections, and two reporting buildings to fund its operation. However, these assets were allocated to separate entities: the Musée d'Orsay managed the collections, while the Fondation de France collected the income from the buildings. Despite a colossal legacy, lack of coordination and budgetary constraints led to the abandonment of the reopening project. The collections must now be distributed, notably towards the Musée Hébert de La Tronche (near Grenoble).

The mansion, built in 1743 by gathering houses, illustrates the civil architecture of the 18th century in Paris. The museum staged Ernest Hébert's work — a painter renowned for his worldly portraits of the second half of the 19th century — in a home-museum atmosphere, preserving the artist's furniture and personal effects. The closure, initially temporary, was acted as definitive in the years 2020, marking the end of this place dedicated to the memory of a major artist of French heritage.

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