Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Jean-Jacques-Henner National Museum is housed in a mansion built between 1876 and 1878 by architect Nicolas-Félix Escalier for painter Guillaume Dubufe. The latter, in view of the Third Republic, sets up a place mixing domestic life, reception and artistic creation, reflecting the eclectic taste of the era with Chinese, Eastern and neo-Renaissance influences. The hotel, described as a showcase of Dubufe's decorative know-how, includes a winter garden, richly decorated lounges and exotic workshops, such as Egyptian mucharabiehs.

In 1921, Marie Henner, widow of the nephew of the painter Jean-Jacques Henner, acquired the hotel to the heirs of Dubufe to exhibit the works of the Alsatian artist, whom she left to the state in 1923. The museum opened in 1924, after work led by architect Marcel Legendre, which transformed the neo-Renaissance salon into a "column lounge" and masked the original mosaic of the winter garden under a concrete slab. The initial, dense and thematic clinging highlights Henner's official career and his workshop, through portraits, Alsatian landscapes and major works such as Alsace, she awaits.

The museum, the only national public institution in the 17th arrondissement, underwent two major renovation campaigns. The first, in 2008-2009, restores the original polychromy of the walls and modernises accessibility, while the second (2014-2016) reveals the hidden mosaic of the winter garden and rearranges the exhibition spaces. In 2017, the museum is attached to a new public institution also comprising the Gustave Moreau Museum. Its museum journey, organized on four levels, alternates between permanent works (including The Naiades, the most monumental) and temporary exhibitions in modular spaces such as the column lounge.

The private hotel, a witness of private architecture under the Third Republic, preserves original decorative elements of Dubufe, such as the mucharabiehs or tiles of earthenware of Delft. These details, combined with Henner's collection (520 paintings, 1,000 drawings), make it a unique place where art history and architectural heritage can be discussed. The reserves, created during the last renovations, now house unexposed collections, while the upper floors, raised in 1935, remain inaccessible to the public.

Jean-Jacques Henner's social life is reflected in his portraits and correspondence, exhibited in the red workshop on the first floor. The latter, centered on its iconic picture Alsace, she waits, illustrates her official career, marked by prestigious orders and distinctions such as the Rome Prize. The red rooms on the first floor evoke his beginnings in Alsace and his Italian stay, with works such as Adam and Eve finding the body of Abel, while the grey workshop on the third floor reveals his creative process through sketches and unfinished works.

Since its creation, the museum has been enriched by private donations, bequests and deposits from institutions such as the Louvre or Orsay, like Saint Sebastian or Solitude. In 1998, he acquired his first work, the Portrait of the Countess of Callac. The graphic collections (1,300 drawings, engravings, photographs) are presented by rotation, supplemented by paintings and sculptures by contemporary artists of Henner, such as Paul Dubois or Adolphe Monticelli. Close to Monceau Park, the museum remains a multidisciplinary cultural venue, hosting concerts and temporary exhibitions.

Collection

Déployé sur trois étages, l'accrochage dense de près de trois cents oeuvres, meubles et objets, développe, dans le goût du xixe siècle, deux grands thèmes : la carrière d'un artiste officiel et l'atelier du peintre.

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