Musée d'Art naïf et d'Arts singuliers (MANAS)
Museum in Laval housed in the Vieux-Château, devoted to naïve art and arts singuliers (outsider art), with free admission to the collections.
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About the museum
The museum was founded in Laval in 1967 on the initiative of Jules Lefranc and Andrée Bordeaux-Le Pecq. Lefranc had offered his collection to the city in 1965, on condition that a museum of naïve art be opened. The first French institution dedicated to naïve art was then installed in the Vieux-Château, on the Place de la Trémoille, in rooms previously used for scientific and archaeological collections.
First called the Musée du Vieux-Château, it became the MANAS when new acquisitions extended its scope to arts singuliers, collected since 1973. The museum is today one of Laval's museums, alongside the Musée des Beaux-Arts and the Musée des Sciences.
The naïve painting collections are organised into several groups: the modern primitives, around artists such as Henri Rousseau or Séraphine de Senlis; naïve artists of all kinds; Eastern European naïve artists such as Ivan Generalić; the Lefranc collection; and contemporary arts singuliers. The exhibition spaces cover about 1,100 m² and also host temporary exhibitions.
Highlights
- Modern primitives: Henri Rousseau and Séraphine de Senlis
- Eastern European naïve artists, including Ivan Generalić
- Jules Lefranc collection, founding donor
- Contemporary arts singuliers, collected since 1973
- Installed in the Vieux-Château of Laval
- Founded
- 1967
- Operated by
- Ville de Laval
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
| Adults | free |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | freeCollections and temporary exhibitions are freely accessible. |
| Guided tour of the collections or exhibitions | €6Free for visitors under 26, students, job seekers and people with disabilities. |
Free admission: Guided tours free on the first Sunday of the month.
Admission to the permanent collections and temporary exhibitions is free; only the guided tour is paid.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- Elevator: no information
- 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's website has a section for visitors with disabilities and displays the “Tourisme et Handicap” label; details of facilities are not specified on the information page.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
- Family tours & workshops
Programmes for young people and families, with “Vacances aux Musées d'art” during school holidays and a drawing space, the Croquithèque.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
The TUL local bus network serves Laval; the station is linked to Paris-Montparnasse in 1 hour 16 minutes by TGV, and to Rennes in 25 minutes.
By road: 2 hours 40 minutes from Paris via the A11, about 58 minutes from Rennes via the N157, about 1 hour from Le Mans via the A81. The museum is labelled “Accueil Vélo”: bicycle racks, drinking water, toilets, repair kit and, on request, a charging point; secure bicycle lockers at the river landing about 850 m away.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
The shop sells merchandise, editions, posters and cards.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Individual guided tours are offered according to the programme; group visits with a mediator can be booked on +33 2 53 74 12 30. A 360-degree virtual tour and audio guides are presented on the museum's website. |
