Musée des Beaux-Arts de Mulhouse

About the museum

The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Mulhouse grew out of the Société industrielle de Mulhouse, whose Fine Arts committee, founded in 1831, began building a collection. The museum itself was founded in 1864, thanks in particular to the industrialist and patron Frédéric Engel-Dollfus, who donated some sixty paintings and a rich collection of prints. A dedicated building, constructed from 1881 with private funds near the railway station, opened in 1883; today it houses the Musée de l’Impression sur étoffes.

During the Second World War the institution became a municipal gallery; the building, damaged by bombing, closed in 1944. The museum became municipal in 1958. Since 1971 it has been housed in the Villa Steinbach on Place Guillaume Tell, a house built in 1788, given to the city in 1894 and extended with a garden wing in 1924. The building previously housed a technology museum, a business school and the history museum.

Renovated in 2017, the permanent display presents works from the Middle Ages to the 20th century: Rhenish art, Flemish and Dutch painting, French and Italian schools, 19th-century academic and regionalist painting, then abstraction and contemporary art. The museum holds the Musée de France label.

Highlights

• 19th-century academic painting: Bouguereau, Benjamin-Constant, Dinet
• Largest regional collection of Jean-Jacques Henner
• Skating scene by Pieter Brueghel the Younger (1613)
• Flemish and Dutch painting of the 17th and 18th centuries
• Abstraction with Jean Legros and Aurélie Nemours
• Villa Steinbach from 1788; free admission

Permanent exhibition

• Parcours permanent des collections – The chronological and thematic route presents works from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, with a focus on 19th-century academic painting and the Henner collection.

Founded

1864

Operated by

Ville de Mulhouse (musées municipaux)

Director

Isabelle Dubois-Brinkmann

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission for all visitors; the museum’s activities are free, by reservation. Free online booking of admission is possible.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• 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 floors are served by an elevator, and the reception counter is lowered.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Activities for all ages from 18 months; during school holidays, workshops for ages 4 to 6, 7 to 10 and teenagers. Admission and activities are free.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on Place Guillaume Tell in Mulhouse.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit