Musée Robert-Tatin
Open-air museum and home of the artist Robert Tatin in Cossé-le-Vivien, with its giant statues, a dragon and gardens.
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About the museum
Robert Tatin was born in Laval in 1902. He first ran a building company, then became a ceramicist in Paris after the Second World War. In 1950 he spent five years in South America, where he studied ceramics in Brazil. His work won a first prize at the São Paulo Biennial in 1951.
After returning to France, he settled in Cossé-le-Vivien, in the Mayenne, in 1962, at the age of sixty. For more than twenty years, with the help of his wife Lise, he transformed his house and land into a vast sculptural and colorful work, which he called an “archisculpture”. He lived there until his death in 1983.
The site is now visited as a museum. An avenue of nineteen large statues in painted concrete, the Allée des Géants, leads to the entrance. Inside, a guardian dragon and bas-reliefs inspired by myths from East and West surround a meditation garden. Rooms display the artist's paintings, ceramics, drawings and textiles. The gardens, covering more than six hectares, include a labyrinth of around 600 hornbeams planted in 2009.
The house received the “Maison des illustres” label from the Ministry of Culture in 2012, and the archisculpture has been protected as a historic monument since January 2022. The museum is run by the Mayenne Departmental Council.
Highlights
- Allée des Géants: 19 statues in painted concrete
- Dragon and bas-reliefs inspired by myths from around the world
- Jardin des Méditations and over six hectares of gardens with a labyrinth
- Paintings, ceramics, drawings and textiles by Robert Tatin
- Artist's house (guided tour only)
- “Maison des illustres” label
Permanent exhibition
- Archisculpture de Robert Tatin – Allée des Géants, the dragon, bas-reliefs, the Jardin des Méditations and rooms with the artist's paintings, ceramics, drawings and textiles; the house can only be visited with a guide.
- Operated by
- Département de la Mayenne
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €4 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €2People with disabilities, job seekers, students, adult groups of 10 or more, holders of the CNAS card or the MayN'Pass, customers of Gîtes de France Mayenne, visitors holding a ticket less than one year old for a second or third departmental site |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Free for children under 18. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €2Reduced rate; adapted visits are possible. |
| Students & apprentices | €2 |
| Groups (10+ people) | €4 per personAdult groups; €2 for social centers. |
| Guided museum tour (site admission included), full price | €6 |
| Guided museum tour (site admission included), reduced rate | €4 |
| Guided tour of museum and house (site admission included), full price | €9Booking required or subject to availability. |
| Guided tour of museum and house (site admission included), reduced rate | €6 |
| Annual pass | €15 |
| Adapted visit for social centers | €2Free for accompanying adults. |
Free admission: The first Sunday of every month (the artist's house is closed that day).
Admission prices cover the site excluding the artist's house, which can only be visited on a guided tour.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Adapted visits are available for various disabilities. The Jardin des Méditations and part of the painting rooms are not wheelchair accessible. Guide dogs are welcome; other animals are not.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Time needed | approx. 1.5 hrs |
|---|---|
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
- Family tours & workshops
Family tours for children aged 4 to 12 accompanied by adults, by reservation, and holiday workshops for 4- to 12-year-olds are offered regularly.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
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
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 45 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | For a group, plan for about 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours on site. A guided museum tour lasts 45 minutes to 1 hour; the artist's house can only be seen on the guided museum-and-house tour, which must be booked online. Tour times: in February, March and October to December, daily at 15:00; April to June and in September, Tuesday to Friday at 15:00, and at weekends at 14:30 and 16:00; July and August, daily at 14:30 and 16:00; no tours on the first Sunday of the month. The house is not accessible to groups. For schools, visits and workshops are offered from nursery school to higher education, and a collection of facsimiles can be borrowed free of charge. |
