Musée Antoine Vivenel

About the museum

The museum was founded in 1839, when the entrepreneur and collector Antoine Vivenel donated his collections to his birthplace, Compiègne. He had envisaged a large study museum, which a lack of funds and space prevented from being realized. For almost a century, the collections remained at the town hall and grew slowly.

In 1952 the museum moved into the Hôtel de Songeons-Bicquilley, which had been bequeathed to the town: a late 18th-century residence built on the site of a former Dominican monastery and surrounded by a two-hectare park. Excavations of the Gallic sanctuary of Gournay-sur-Aronde between 1975 and 1984, along with gifts, bequests and acquisitions, enriched the holdings. In 2002 the museum received the “Musée de France” label.

The collections show the range of Vivenel's tastes: Mediterranean antiquities (Greece, Egypt, Etruria), the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, paintings from the 16th to the 19th century, decorative arts and regional archaeology. An Asian art room opened in 2018. The Site d'immersion historique, set in the hôtel's inner courtyard, lets visitors discover the history of Compiègne.

Highlights

• Regional archaeology, including objects from the Gallic sanctuary of Gournay-sur-Aronde
• Asian art room opened in 2018
• Paintings from the 16th to the 19th century and Renaissance decorative arts
• Site d'immersion historique: free session on the history of Compiègne, by reservation
• Hôtel de Songeons-Bicquilley and its park

Permanent exhibitions

• Archéologie régionale – Objects from local excavations that tell the ancient past of Compiègne and its region, including the Gallic sanctuary of Gournay-sur-Aronde.
• Salle d'arts asiatiques – Objects acquired by Antoine Vivenel and pieces given to the museum in 1913 by the Marquis de Thuisy.
• Peintures et arts décoratifs – European paintings from the 16th to the 19th century, ivories, enamels and Renaissance decorative arts.

Founded

1839

Operated by

Ville de Compiègne

Visitors per year

approx. 14,980 (2019)

Admission & discounts

Free admission: First Sunday of each month, for everyone

Free admission also for groups from the social sector. The museums can be visited with one ticket per museum or with combined tickets.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Access for visitors with reduced mobility through the Songeons park behind the museum. Only the ground-floor collections (Mediterranean antiquities and local archaeology) are accessible. The Site d'immersion historique and the accessible toilets are reached by a lift. Small reserved car park near the entrance to the Songeons park (access via rue Jeanne d'Arc).

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The entrance is through the Songeons park. The Compiègne museums are accessible by bike (Accueil Vélo).

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit