Marseille Museum of Fine Arts

The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Marseille, located in the magnificent Palais Longchamp, is one of the oldest and most prestigious art museums in the city. Inaugurated in 1869, the museum owes its existence to a decree from the French Consulate in 1801, which established the creation of 15 museums throughout France, including the one in Marseille. The Palais Longchamp itself is an architectural masterpiece, designed by Henri-Jacques Espérandieu, celebrating the construction of the Canal de Marseille. This magnificent palace, with its fountains and elaborate sculptures, not only houses the Musée des Beaux-Arts but also the Museum of Natural History. The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Marseille boasts an exceptional collection of over 15,000 works of art, ranging from the 16th to the 19th century. The collection is divided into different thematic sections, including painting, sculpture, decorative arts, and drawings. Visitors can admire masterpieces by internationally renowned artists such as Rubens, David, and Puget, as well as works by Italian, French, and Spanish masters. Among the most famous works are “La Chasse au sanglier” by Peter Paul Rubens, “Saint Roch interceding with the Virgin” by Jacques-Louis David, and “Le port de Marseille” by Félix Ziem. A particularly fascinating area of the museum is dedicated to sculpture, with significant works by Pierre Paul Puget, one of the most important French baroque sculptors, and Auguste Rodin, represented by his famous sculpture “La Méditation”. These sculptures not only demonstrate the technical mastery of the artists but also offer insight into the themes and emotions that have crossed through the ages. The museum’s collection of paintings is equally impressive. The museum owns works by Provencal painters such as Loubon and Guigou, who captured the beauty of the landscape and daily life of the region. Additionally, the museum houses a series of historical paintings documenting crucial events in the history of Marseille and France. These paintings not only offer an artistic view of the past but also serve as a historical testimony of the events. An interesting anecdote concerns the Palais Longchamp itself. The palace and its park were built to celebrate the arrival of water from the Durance to Marseille through the Canal de Marseille, an engineering project that solved the city’s chronic water supply problems. The complex, with its scenic fountain and symmetrical wings, represents one of the most beautiful examples of 19th-century architecture in France.