Villa-musée Jean-Honoré Fragonard

About the museum

The villa is one of the first residences built outside the city walls of Grasse, at the end of the 17th century. This large Provençal bastide, surrounded by a terraced garden and market gardens, belonged to several families before being bought by Alexandre Maubert, a wealthy perfume merchant.

In 1790, Maubert welcomed his cousin, the painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard, who had left Paris because of the political upheaval. Fragonard decorated the staircase with a large grisaille and trompe-l’œil scheme in the antique style. In the grand salon, he installed the canvases of the cycle “Les Progrès de l'Amour”, painted in the 1770s for Madame du Barry, who had rejected them, and he completed them with ten other paintings.

This ensemble remained in place until 1898. The originals were then sold after having been copied by the Lyon painter Auguste La Brély; they have been on display at the Frick Collection in New York since 1915. When the house was put up for sale in 1977, the City of Grasse bought it and devoted three rooms on the second floor to the works of Fragonard and his family.

The museum also displays paintings by his son Évariste, his grandson Théophile and his sister-in-law Marguerite Gérard, as well as mementos of the painter, such as his armchair and his paint box.

Highlights

• Copies of the 14 panels of “Les Progrès de l'Amour” in the grand salon
• Neoclassical grisaille and trompe-l’œil decoration of the staircase (1791)
• Works by Évariste and Théophile Fragonard and by Marguerite Gérard
• Armchair and paint box of Jean-Honoré Fragonard
• Free admission

Permanent exhibition

• Les Progrès de l'Amour (copies) et œuvres de la famille Fragonard – The grand salon presents copies of the fourteen panels painted by Fragonard; three rooms on the second floor show works by his family and mementos of the painter.

Founded

1977

Operated by

Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de Grasse (Musées de Grasse)

Visitors per year

approx. 9,062

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission for everyone. Booking is recommended for groups.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Cultural activities and workshops for all visitors by appointment (04 97 05 58 14).

Getting there & parking

Address: 23 boulevard Fragonard, 06130 Grasse.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The shop offers reference books, postcards and decorative objects.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit