Musée départemental Albert-Kahn

About the museum

The banker and philanthropist Albert Kahn (1860–1940) bought the Hôtel de Boulogne in 1895, which he had been renting for two years, and gradually expanded the property into an estate of 4.2 hectares. There he laid out a garden of landscape scenes, intended to reflect his ideal of a harmonious world, and set up his foundations, his company “Autour du Monde” and the Archives de la Planète, a vast photographic and film inventory of the world made between 1909 and 1931. Ruined by the 1929 crisis, he lost his fortune.

In 1936, the Seine département bought the garden and the image collections; Albert Kahn kept the use of his house until his death in 1940. The garden opened to the public in 1937, during the International Exhibition. In 1968, the new Hauts-de-Seine département became owner of the garden and the collections. The site became a departmental museum in 1986 and later received the Musée de France label; a first exhibition gallery and a contemporary Japanese garden were inaugurated in 1990.

In 2012 the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma won the competition for a new building; renovation work began in 2015, the same year the site was listed as a historic monument. Today the permanent route of about 1,000 m² links Albert Kahn's photographic collections with the garden, including the Japanese village and the blue forest.

Highlights

• Archives de la Planète: unique collections of color photographs and films (1909–1931)
• New building by Kengo Kuma, open onto the English garden
• Garden of more than 4 hectares with a Japanese village, blue forest, and French and English gardens
• Interactive permanent route of about 1,000 m² between images and garden
• Tea ceremonies at the Seiyuan pavilion from October to March

Permanent exhibition

• Exposition permanente : entre images et jardin – Interactive route of about 1,000 m² linking Albert Kahn's photographic collections and the garden, from the reception hall to the restored buildings.

Founded

1986

Operated by

Département des Hauts-de-Seine

Visitors per year

approx. 143,474

Admission & discounts

Free admission: First Sunday of each month (online booking recommended)

The admission ticket gives access to the permanent route, temporary exhibitions and the garden; there is no garden-only ticket. Admission is also free for holders of the Pass Culture, job seekers, journalists, friends of the museum and subscribers. Online ticketing is currently unavailable: tickets are sold on site at reception.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description

The new building is fully accessible, with ramps and adapted elevators; the historic garden is only partly accessible, and a map for visitors with reduced mobility is available. A wheelchair and a seat-cane can be borrowed at reception. Accessible restrooms are located in the main building. An induction loop serves the reception and the auditorium. A tactile visit kit, audio-description tools and an easy-to-read visit guide are available; sensory tours take place every month and a tour in French Sign Language every quarter. Reserved parking spaces are located on Rue du Port, Route de la Reine, Rue de Paris and Avenue du Maréchal-de-Lattre-de-Tassigny.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

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

Visits and activities for families (parents and children); school program with tours, workshops and classroom visits. A discovery booklet about the collections for families is available for download. Strollers are refused on weekends and during national events; a stroller parking area is located at the cloakroom. A changing table is installed in the accessible restrooms.

Getting there & parking

Vélib' station at the Rhin et Danube roundabout; bike racks at 2 rue du Port (with repair kit and pump), 24 avenue du Maréchal-de-Lattre-de-Tassigny and 135 route de la Reine. The museum holds the Accueil Vélo label (2024) and allows visitors to charge equipment at reception.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Café Delícias Caffe, accessible without a ticket, open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 18:00 from October to March and until 19:00 from April to September, closed from August 16 to September 3. Bookshop on the entrance level of the new building, on the garden side. Seiyuan tea pavilion with tea ceremonies from October to March. Cloakroom and lockers on the entrance level of the main building; large bags are not accepted.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

The garden and certain areas of the museum may be hired out, mainly for corporate events; tailored private tours are possible.

Plan your visit