Construction of the Citadelle 1554 (≈ 1554)
Start of work under Emmanuel-Philibert.
1860
Link to France
Link to France 1860 (≈ 1860)
County of Nice integrated with France.
1965
Purchase by the municipality
Purchase by the municipality 1965 (≈ 1965)
End of military vocation.
1979
Start of restorations
Start of restorations 1979 (≈ 1979)
Restored citadel for cultural welcome.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Henri Goetz - Donor Artist
Offered personal works and Boumeester.
Christine Boumeester - Exposed Artist
Fifty works presented at the museum.
Emmanuel-Philibert - Duke of Savoie
Commander of the Citadel in 1554.
Origin and history
The Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Villefranche-sur-Mer is housed in the Citadelle, a bastioned fortress built from 1554 under the Duke of Savoie Emmanuel-Philibert. Destined to monitor the harbour, she played a strategic role for Savoy's house before being attached to France in 1860. The Citadelle retained its military function until 1965, when it was bought by the municipality. Restored from 1979, it now houses the museum.
The museum's collections come from, among other things, the donation of Henri Goetz, an artist who has offered about 50 of his works and those of Christine Boumeester, as well as works by great contemporary masters. A collection of 300 polychrome ceramic figures, tracing the daily life of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, completes the ensemble. A room is dedicated to the 24th Alpine fighter battalion, which occupied the Citadel from 1876 to 1939.
The museum benefits from the label Musée de France and is part of a historic site marked by seats and a defensive vocation. La Citadelle, with its restored vaulted alveoles, offers an austere yet prestigious setting for these varied collections, mixing modern art, military memories and historical reconstructions. The museum also depends on the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, which has deposited certain works.
