Musée national Fernand Léger

About the museum

In 1955, a few months before his death, Fernand Léger bought the Mas Saint-André at the foot of the village of Biot. His widow Nadia Léger and his assistant Georges Bauquier set up a museum there to make his work known. The architect André Svetchine designed the building, whose façade carries an immense mosaic taken from a Léger project for the stadium in Hanover, and the landscape designer Henri Fisch laid out the garden. The museum opened on May 13, 1960.

In 1969 the founders gave the State the building, the land and more than three hundred works: the museum became a national museum. In the late 1980s an extension by Bernard Schoebel doubled the exhibition space, with new mosaics and large stained-glass windows. From 2004 to 2008 the architect Marc Barani carried out a renovation that opened the hall onto the park and reorganised the rooms.

The museum holds the largest group of Léger's works: paintings, drawings, sculptures and ceramics, presented across eleven key periods, from cubist experiments to the large colourful compositions of the 1950s. It is one of the national museums of 20th-century art in the Alpes-Maritimes, along with the Chagall museum in Nice and the Picasso museum in Vallauris. Since October 2024, restoration work has been under way on the mosaic of the west façade.

Highlights

• Largest collection of works by Fernand Léger: paintings, drawings, sculptures and ceramics
• Façade decorated with a 400 m² mosaic and ceramic high-reliefs
• Large stained-glass window in the entrance hall, after a drawing by Léger
• Mediterranean garden with monumental works
• Room with tactile materials for exploring the mosaic by touch

Permanent exhibitions

• Collection du musée national Fernand Léger – Paintings, drawings, sculptures and ceramics by Fernand Léger, presented across eleven key periods, from cubist experiments to the large colourful compositions of the 1950s.
• Bâtiment et jardin – Façade with a mosaic and ceramic high-reliefs, stained-glass windows and a Mediterranean garden with monumental works after Léger's projects.

Founded

1960

Operated by

Musées nationaux du XXe siècle des Alpes-Maritimes (ministère de la Culture)

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free admission for everyone on the first Sunday of the month.

New rates since April 1, 2026; the admission price may vary depending on the number of rooms open. Admission is also free for teachers (Pass Éducation) and recipients of certain minimum social benefits. Tickets are sold on site only, at the ticket office; payment by cash, bank cheques, bank cards and Chèques-vacances.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Access for people with reduced mobility and adapted toilets. For technical reasons, people with reduced mobility currently have access only to the ground floor, not the upper floor. Visioguides in French Sign Language (French and English), a room with tactile materials, raised-relief reproductions of works and a tactile adaptation of “La Femme aux cheveux noirs”; adapted guided tours by reservation (servicemediation06@culture.gouv.fr).

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Creative family workshops and tours for children from age 4, accompanied or not by their parents, on a theme linked to Léger's work. Children's audioguide in French and English. The shaded garden is ideal for a family break.

Getting there & parking

Nice Côte d’Azur airport is 15 km away. By car: motorway, exit Villeneuve-Loubet, then the RN7 towards Antibes, then towards Biot. GPS coordinates: 43.627, 7.082.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check

Bookshop with postcards, reproductions, catalogues and children's books. Cloakroom for small bags only (20 x 25 x 40 cm at most); coats, suitcases, helmets and scooters are not accepted. Food and drink are not allowed in the museum; they can be consumed in the garden.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Private hire for cocktails, dinners, seminars, general meetings or concerts. No new requests are currently being accepted; requests will be considered from January 1, 2027.

Plan your visit