Musée d'art et d'histoire de Meudon

About the museum

The museum occupies one of the oldest houses in Meudon, on rue des Pierres, which dates from the 16th century. The surgeon Ambroise Paré bought it in 1550. In the mid-17th century the house gained two wings and square pavilions around a courtyard; the painted first-floor salon, decorated with arabesques, dates from this period. In 1676 the actress Armande Béjart, widow of Molière, acquired the house and kept it until her death in 1700.

The house was listed as a historic monument in 1891. The Town of Meudon bought it in 1941 and in 1943, on July 10, opened a local history museum there, run by the Société des Amis de Meudon. In 1973 this society gave its collections to the town, and the museum became municipal. It received the “Musée de France” label in 2003 and was completely renovated in 2012.

The collections are organised around three themes: the history of Meudon and its châteaux, with figures such as the Grand Dauphin, the Marquise de Pompadour or Auguste Rodin; a collection of French landscape painting from the 18th century to the modern era, resulting from a donation in 2007; and a rare group of sculptures and paintings from the 1940s to the 1980s by the Nouvelle École de Paris. The garden of about one hectare, a “site classé” protected since 1966, contains some fifty sculptures, mostly modern, including Gustave Courbet's Helvetia.

Highlights

• 16th-century house once owned by Armande Béjart, with its painted salon
• Collection of French landscapes from the 18th century to the modern era
• Nouvelle École de Paris collection: sculptures and paintings from 1940 to 1980
• One-hectare sculpture garden with some fifty works
• Free admission for individual visitors

Permanent exhibitions

• Histoire de Meudon – Works and documents on Meudon's châteaux, heritage and famous personalities.
• Collection de paysages français – The evolution of landscape painting from the 18th century, from neoclassicism to the Nabis.
• Nouvelle École de Paris – Sculptures and paintings from the 1940s to the 1980s, with some monumental works in the garden.

Founded

1943

Operated by

Ville de Meudon

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free, with open access and no reservation needed for individual visitors. Only guided tours and workshops are paid. Payment by card, check, cash or bank transfer.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• 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

The museum has been accessible to visitors with reduced mobility since 2012. An elevator serves the permanent collections on the second floor, and the temporary exhibition rooms are at ground level. A wheelchair and portable auxiliary seats are lent free of charge on request, and the reception has a hearing loop. Access to the garden is only partial.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

Magic bags for a sensory family visit are lent free of charge at reception. Coloring tables for ages 4 to 6 and child-height texts are set up in the galleries. Art workshops for children aged 6 to 12 are offered by reservation (€6). An online mystery hunt (enquête-mystère) is available for adults and for children aged 7 to 9.

Getting there & parking

A Véligo bike station is located at Meudon SNCF station, place du 8-Mai-1945, and bicycle parking spaces are on rue des Pierres, opposite the museum.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop

There is no café in the museum. La Loggia de l'Observatoire, a café serving light lunches at midday, is located in the former royal estate of Meudon and can only be reached on foot. The museum shop is at the reception.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit