Musée Bonnat-Helleu

Over het museum

Bayonne's municipal collections were formed in the 19th century through purchases from young local artists, including Léon Bonnat, and through State deposits. In 1873 they were installed in the theater foyer under the name “musée de peinture”. After a fire in 1889 and Bonnat's announcement that he intended to give his collection to his native city, a new-building plan was adopted in 1891.

The foundation stone was laid in 1896, and the neoclassical limestone building opened in 1901. It then housed the archives, the library, a painting museum and a natural history museum. After Bonnat's death, his works came to Bayonne; they now form the Bonnat collection, on deposit from the Louvre. Further bequests followed, including the Derrécagaix (1921), Personnaz (1936) and Petithory (1992) gifts.

From 1988 the donation of Paulette Howard-Johnston, daughter of the painter Paul Helleu, made the museum a reference point for this artist. On her death in 2009 she named the museum the legatee of her collection, which grew by more than 300 pieces. The museum then took the name Bonnat-Helleu.

Closed for works in 2011, the museum reopened in November 2025 after a long renovation that restored the building's original light. It holds about 7,000 works, from antiquity to the 20th century, including more than 2,500 works from the Louvre inventory deposited in Bayonne.

Hoogtepunten

• Léon Bonnat collection on deposit from the Louvre, with many masterpieces
• Paul Helleu holdings from the Howard-Johnston donation
• About 7,000 works, from antiquity to the 20th century
• Historic courtyard under a glass roof with its original mosaic floor
• Large gallery on the fourth floor, lit by a glass roof

Vaste collectie

• Collection Léon Bonnat – The works by the Bayonne-born painter, on deposit from the Louvre, form the core of the permanent display.
• Chefs-d'œuvre du musée – A selection of paintings, sculptures and drawings from antiquity to the 20th century, including the Paul Helleu holdings.

Opgericht

1897

Beheerder

Ville de Bayonne

Bezoekers per jaar

ca. 32.330

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

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

Free admission with proof also for recipients of social minimum benefits and job seekers, as well as for members of the Friends of the Museum society, ICOM or ICOMOS card holders, journalists and tour guides. An annual subscription is available.

Toegankelijkheid

• Rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift
• Aangepast toilet: geen informatie
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal
• Audiodescriptie

All levels are served by an elevator. Two wheelchairs and folding stools are lent at reception, where a wheelchair battery can also be recharged. Tactile paving and contrasting colors aid orientation. An audio-description route, devices for deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors, two video guides in French Sign Language and easy-read French editions are announced or in preparation for 2026. Accessible parking spaces are located on Rue Jacques-Laffitte and Rue Frédéric-Bastiat. Guide dogs are allowed in the galleries.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Kinderwagenvriendelijk
• Verschoonruimte
• Speeltuin / speelhoek

A family route presents works at children's height, narrated by pupils from Bayonne's schools, with the Chimera as guide. Aériums on levels 1 and 3 offer games and books to read on site. A baby-changing area is on the ground floor, and the café warms bottles and baby food. Strollers and baby carriers are admitted. An activity program is planned for the All Saints' autumn school holidays.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

Service & horeca

• Café
• Restaurant: niet aanwezig
• Museumwinkel
• Garderobe

Kafé Tinda serves light meals and teas (24 seats indoors, 50 on the courtyard terrace) and can be visited without a ticket. The museum shop is accessible from the street without a ticket. The cloakroom accepts luggage up to 95 x 27 cm; a left-luggage facility is about a 10-minute walk away, near Bayonne station.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Privéfeesten
• Zakelijke evenementen

Tot 100 personen.

Three spaces can be hired: the 115 m² patio (cocktail or seated dinner for around a hundred guests), the 230 m² courtyard and the 215 m² large hall on the fourth floor. Cocktails, dinners, fashion shows, lectures and filming are possible; quotes on request via a form.

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