Musée d'Arts de Nantes
Large fine arts museum covering the 13th century to the present day, housed in a palace from 1900 and extended by the Cube and the Chapelle de l’Oratoire.
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About the museum
The museum was established by a consular decree of September 1, 1801, together with fourteen other provincial museums. Its collections grew considerably in 1810, when the city bought the collection assembled by the Cacault brothers. It opened to the public in 1830 in the Halle aux toiles and took the name Musée Clarke de Feltre after a bequest in 1852.
By the late 19th century the building was too small. The architect Clément Josso won the competition for a new palace, which opened as the Palais des Arts on January 19, 1900; after budget overruns, Léon-Félix Lenoir completed the site. The facades and the grand staircase have been listed as historic monuments since 1975.
The museum closed in December 2011 for a major extension and reopened on June 23, 2017. The project by the British firm Stanton Williams added the Cube, a building for contemporary art, and linked the palace to the Chapelle de l’Oratoire. The collections today span the 13th century to contemporary art and include paintings by Georges de La Tour, works by Kandinsky from 1922 to 1933, and Ingres’s Portrait of Madame de Senonnes, from 1814.
Highlights
- Paintings by Georges de La Tour
- Works by Kandinsky from 1922 to 1933
- Ingres’s Portrait of Madame de Senonnes (1814)
- The Cube, a contemporary art building, and the Chapelle de l’Oratoire
- The 1900 Palais des Arts and its listed grand staircase
- Free “Ma visite” app with audio description and sign language content
Permanent exhibition
- Collections permanentes – A route through ancient, modern and contemporary paintings from the 13th century to the present, in the palace, the Cube and the Chapelle de l’Oratoire.
- Founded
- 1801
- Operated by
- Nantes Métropole
- Visitors per year
- approx. 326,296
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €9 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €4Especially young people aged 18 to 25 |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Free admission for children under 18. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · Free visit for people with disabilities and their companion. |
| Families | –Every Sunday afternoon (except July and August), reduced rate for one or two adults accompanying a child under 18. |
| Pass musées (unlimited access for one year to four museums in the metropolitan area) | €15 |
| Activity for children under 18, full price | €6 |
| Activity for children living in the Nantes metropolitan area | €4 |
| Activity for children with the Carte blanche | €2.50 |
Free admission: Every Thursday from 19:00 to 21:00; the first Sunday of the month (except July and August); during certain events such as the European Heritage Days
Free admission for job seekers. Guided tours are booked through the online ticket shop; the price for people with disabilities is €4 or €2.50, and it is free for adapted groups.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits
- Sign language tours
- Easy-to-read materials
- Audio description
The museum is entirely step-free; the main entrance is reached by an outdoor lift on the forecourt on rue Georges-Clemenceau, and lifts connect all levels. Manual wheelchairs, seat canes and push canes are lent at reception. Tactile, raised-relief and Braille maps. Sign-language tours led by deaf mediators, induction loops at reception and in the workshops, free remote interpreting. The “Ma visite” app offers content in easy-to-read French, in sign language and with audio description. Reserved parking spaces: rue Georges-Clemenceau (1), place de l’Oratoire (1) and rue Stanislas-Baudry (2).
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Time needed | approx. 2 hrs |
|---|---|
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Hands-on stations
- Stroller-friendly
- Baby changing facilities
Workshops and guided tours for families from age 2 on Wednesdays, at weekends and during the school holidays; family Sunday with tours and board games; shows for young audiences. Activity booklets and sketchbooks at reception, family route in the “Ma visite” app. Changing tables on level -1. Free admission for children under 18.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Foch-Cathédrale · 4-min walk
Tram line 1, “Duchesse-Anne” stop (about 6 minutes on foot); tram line 2, “St-Mihiel” stop (about 10 minutes on foot); buses C1, C6, 11, 12 and Busway 4, “Foch-Cathédrale” stop (about 4 minutes on foot).
By car
Paid parking
Covered Cathédrale car park (rue Sully), less than 5 minutes on foot; paid on-street parking and the Oratoire car park.
- Accessible parking
Coach drop-off (Dépose-minute) on Place Maréchal-Foch. Bike racks nearby; Bicloo stations no. 32 “Foch” and no. 63 “Jardin des Plantes”. The SNCF Nantes Nord station is nearby.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Restaurant
- Museum shop
- Coat check
- Lockers
- Wi-Fi
The Café du musée is a café-restaurant run by chef Éric Guérin; bookshop-boutique on site. According to the museum's official app, a Wi-Fi network is available to visitors to help them find their way around the galleries. Lockers accept items up to 55 x 35 x 20 cm.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (FR, EN, ES) |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photography is permitted without flash. |
| Good to know | Allow 1.5 to 2 hours for a quick or targeted visit and about 4 hours to see the whole museum. A tablet audio guide is handed out against an ID; the free “Ma visite” app is also available. Guided tours, workshops and events are scheduled each quarter and booked online, not by phone. |
