Opening of the first public museum 1750 (≈ 1750)
Exhibition of the paintings of the Roy*, foreshadowing the Louvre.
1803
Reopening under Napoleon
Reopening under Napoleon 1803 (≈ 1803)
Creation of the second museum in Luxembourg.
1818
Museum of Living Artists
Museum of Living Artists 1818 (≈ 1818)
First contemporary art museum in Europe.
1886
Transfer to current wing
Transfer to current wing 1886 (≈ 1886)
Inauguration of the building perpendicular to orangery.
1937
Closing for transfer
Closing for transfer 1937 (≈ 1937)
Replaced by Tokyo Palace.
2000
Renaissance under the Senate
Renaissance under the Senate 2000 (≈ 2000)
New vocation of thematic exhibitions.
2010
Renovation and new management
Renovation and new management 2010 (≈ 2010)
Trusted in the National Museums Meeting.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Étienne La Font de Saint-Yenne - Criticism of art
Initiator of the 1750 exhibition.
Le Normant de Tournehem - Director of King's Buildings
Organized the first public gallery.
Louis XVIII - King of France
Created the Museum of Living Artists in 1818.
Gustave Caillebotte - Painter and patron
Leave his Impressionist collection in 1894.
Alphonse de Gisors - Architect
Designed the current wing in 1839.
Shigeru Ban - Architect
Renovation of spaces in 2012.
Origin and history
The Museum of Luxembourg is an art exhibition in a wing of the Palais du Luxembourg in Paris, in the 6th arrondissement. Since 2000, he has been under the supervision of the French Senate and devoted himself to thematic art exhibitions, in connection with the history of the place: "La Renaissance en Europe", "Art et pouvoir" and "Le Palais, le Jardin et le Musée: le Luxembourg au coeur de Paris, capital of the arts". Its present location, adjacent to orangery and open to the garden of Luxembourg, dates from the late 19th century.
The museum's history dates back to 1750, when it became, with the exhibition of Paintings du Roy, the first museum of fine arts open to the public in France, foreshadowing the Louvre Museum. Closed in 1780, he reopened in 1803 under Napoleon, before specializing in contemporary art in 1818, becoming the first such museum in Europe. He housed works by living artists like David, Ingres or Delacroix, transferred to the Louvre ten years after their death.
In the 19th century, the museum evolved to a modern vocation, welcoming currents such as Impressionism through legacies (Caillebotte, Moreau-Nelaton) and acquisitions (Manet, Monet). In 1886 he was transferred to a wing perpendicular to orangery, designed by Alphonse de Gisors. In 1937, he transferred his place to the Palais des musées d'art moderne (present-day museum of modern art in Paris), before being reborn in 1979 with regional exhibitions, then in 2000 under the aegis of the Senate.
Since 2010, the museum has been managed by the National Museum Meeting and has been renovated by architects Shigeru Ban and Jean de Gastines. His recent exhibitions explore various themes, from the Renaissance (Cranach, Botticelli) to modern art (Picasso, Mucha), including historical figures such as Josephine or Tudors. The place remains a key player in Parisian cultural life, combining heritage and innovation.
The museum has hosted major exhibitions such as Raphaël: Grace and Beauty (2001, 350,000 visitors) or Modigliani (2002, 570,000 visitors), originally produced by SVO Art. Since 2012, its programming has been based on three historical axes, while integrating contemporary works, as evidenced by the exhibition Pioneeres (2022) or Tarsila do Amaral (planned in 2024).
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Collection
Depuis 2000, cette institution culturelle est placée sous la tutelle du Sénat français, qui siège dans le reste du palais. Sa vocation actuelle est de présenter périodiquement des expositions artistiques thématiques et originales.
