Musée Jean-Cocteau – Collection Séverin Wunderman
Municipal museum in Menton, built by Rudy Ricciotti for the Wunderman collection devoted to Jean Cocteau; the building has been closed since the 2018 storm.
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About the museum
In 1985, the collector Séverin Wunderman opened a museum in Irvine, California, holding more than 2,000 pieces, around 700 of them devoted to Jean Cocteau. That museum closed in 1995, and Wunderman, who had settled in the south of France, wanted to show his collection in France. He chose Menton, which had had a museum devoted to the artist since 1966, the Bastion, and in 2005 he donated his collection to the town. It was then merged with the Bastion’s holdings to form an ensemble of more than 2,000 pieces.
The donation was tied to the construction of a suitable building. The architect Rudy Ricciotti, selected in 2008, designed a triangular concrete building of about 2,700 m² on the seafront, quai de Monléon; the museum was inaugurated in November 2011. It presents Cocteau’s drawings, paintings, ceramics, photographs, tapestries, jewellery, manuscripts and posters.
On October 29, 2018, storm Adrian brought heavy waves that flooded the storerooms and damaged a large part of the works. The building has been closed since then, and no reopening date has been set. Meanwhile, the Musée Jean-Cocteau – Le Bastion, on the Vieux-Port, remains open and hosts two exhibitions a year.
Highlights
- Wunderman collection: drawings, paintings, ceramics, photographs and tapestries by Jean Cocteau
- Concrete building by Rudy Ricciotti, inaugurated in 2011
- Works restored after the October 2018 storm
- Musée Jean-Cocteau – Le Bastion open on the Vieux-Port
Permanent exhibition
- Collection Séverin Wunderman – Drawings, paintings, ceramics, photographs, tapestries, jewellery, manuscripts and posters by Jean Cocteau, donated to the City of Menton in 2005; the building that houses them is currently closed.
- Founded
- 2011
- Operated by
- Ville de Menton
- Visitors per year
- approx. 16,378 (2019)
Admission & discounts
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Accessibility
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Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
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Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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