Musée des arts décoratifs de Bordeaux

About the museum

The mansion at 39 rue Bouffard was built from 1778 for Pierre de Raymond de Lalande, a councillor of the Parlement of Bordeaux, between a semicircular courtyard and a garden. From 1880 the City of Bordeaux housed police services there; a municipal prison was then built on the former garden and completed in 1886. Several hundred inscriptions and drawings engraved by the prisoners survive on its walls.

The Musée d’Art ancien opened in the mansion in 1924, on the initiative of the Société archéologique de Bordeaux. Its collections came from revolutionary confiscations, archaeological finds, gifts and purchases by the city. For a time it shared the building with police offices and the prison, which was still in operation.

After five years of works, the museum reopened in 1983, occupying the service wings, the attics and the former prison. In 2013 it became the Musée des Arts décoratifs et du Design, with the idea of creating a dialogue between older decorative arts, displayed in the mansion, and design, exhibited in the prison since 2016.

A major project led by the Antoine Dufour practice now links the two listed historic monuments with a glass and steel pavilion. The rue Boulan wing and the former prison reopened on April 22, 2026; the renovated mansion and a renewed route through the permanent collections are announced for 2027.

Highlights

• 18th-century mansion and former prison, two historic monuments linked by a glass and steel pavilion
• Collections of decorative arts and design spanning several centuries
• Inscriptions engraved by prisoners on the walls of the former prison
• Gallery of craft techniques and graphic arts cabinet
• Café-restaurant and landscaped courtyard

Founded

1924

Operated by

Ville de Bordeaux

Admission & discounts

Free admission: First Sunday of the month, except in July and August

A single rate of €3.50. Free admission also applies, with proof, to Friends of the MADD, holders of the Carte Jeune and of the Bordeaux Métropole City Pass or the Pass Musées Bordeaux, recipients of minimum social benefits, and journalists.

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

Two lifts and redesigned circulation routes make the museum accessible to visitors with reduced mobility. A wheelchair and play mats for the youngest children are lent at reception on request.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum offers family events at weekends and during school holidays, and play mats for the youngest children are available at reception.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on rue Bouffard, a pedestrian shopping street in central Bordeaux.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop

Banba café-restaurant in the museum courtyard, opening announced for late 2026, serving breakfast, lunch and aperitifs. Bookshop at reception with books, objects and stationery for adults and children. The website does not mention Wi-Fi for visitors.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Up to 300 guests.

Conference room with 70 seats near the pavilion, a planted courtyard for cocktails, interior courtyards and the former prison cells, and the main courtyard for up to 300 people in warm weather. Contact: maddbordeaux-events@mairie-bordeaux.fr.

Plan your visit