The Musée des beaux-arts de Marseille is one of the main museums in the city of

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

, in the

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (commonly shortened to PACA), also known as Région Sud, is one of the eighteen Regions of France, administrative regions of France, located at the far southeastern point of the Metropolitan France, mainland. The main P ...

region. It occupies a wing of the

Palais Longchamp The Palais Longchamp () is a monument in the 4th arrondissement of Marseille, France. It houses both the Musée des beaux-arts de Marseille, Musée des beaux-arts and the Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Marseille. The surrounding Longchamp Park (F ...

, and displays a collection of paintings, sculptures and drawings from the 16th to 19th centuries.

History

The museum is one of five created by the Consulate in 1801, in the main cities of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The basis for the collection was the seizure by revolutionaries of state property after the consular decree of 1 September 1800. Successive deposits of state property were made in 1814, 1817, and 1819, and throughout the rest of the 19th century. In 1856, the Borély collection was acquired by the museum. In 1869, the museum moved into the left wing of the Palais Longchamp. After more than 130 years of existence, a complete renovation of the Palais Longchamp and the museum was necessary. A long restoration started in 2005, and completed in June 2013, has restored all its luster to this complex.

Building

The museum is located in the right wing of the

, built by the architect Henri-Jacques Espérandieu between 1862, and 1869 to commemorate the arrival in the city of waters of the Durance river through the Canal de Marseille. The building has been designated a Historical Monument. A colonnade connects the museum to the monumental central fountain of the chateau. The building has rich sculptural decoration, including the group of the Durance by Jules Cavelier and four wild animals by Antoine-Louis Barye at the entrance. On the stairs of the museum there are two paintings by

Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (; 14 December 1824 – 24 October 1898) was a French painter known for his mural painting, who came to be known as "the painter for France". He became the co-founder and president of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Ar ...

: ''Marseille, gateway to the East'' and ''Marseilles, a Greek colony''.

Collections

Paintings

The painting collection includes works of the French, Italian, Spanish and Northern (Flanders and Holland) schools. *Of the French school, the best represented, there are paintings by Eustache Le Sueur, Simon Vouet,

Sébastien Bourdon Sébastien Bourdon (; 2 February 16168 May 1671) was a French painter and engraver. His ''chef d'œuvre'' is ''The Crucifixion of St. Peter'' made for the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris, Notre Dame. Biography Bourdon was born in Montpellie ...

Charles Le Brun Charles Le Brun (; baptised 24 February 1619 – 12 February 1690) was a French Painting, painter, Physiognomy, physiognomist, Aesthetics, art theorist, and a director of several art schools of his time. He served as a court painter to Louis XIV, ...

, Étienne Peson, some rare canvasses of the Marseille sculptor Pierre Paul Puget, others by

Philippe de Champaigne Philippe de Champaigne (; 26 May 1602 – 12 August 1674) was a Duchy of Brabant, Brabant-born French people, French Baroque era painter, a major exponent of the French art, French school. He was a founding member of the Académie royale de pein ...

, Nicolas Mignard,

Pierre Mignard Pierre Mignard or Pierre Mignard I (; 17 November 1612 – 30 May 1695), called "Mignard le Romain" to distinguish him from his brother Nicolas Mignard, was a French painter known for his religious and mythological scenes and portraits. He was a ...

, Louis Cretey,

Charles de La Fosse Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning wa ...

, Alexandre-François Desportes, Hyacinthe Rigaud,

Jean-Baptiste Oudry Jean-Baptiste Oudry (; 17 March 1686 – 30 April 1755) was a French Rococo painter, engraver, and tapestry designer. He is particularly well known for his naturalistic pictures of animals and his hunt pieces depicting game. His son, Jacques-Cha ...

Charles-Joseph Natoire Charles-Joseph Natoire (3 March 1700 – 23 August 1777) was a French painter in the Rococo manner, a pupil of François Lemoyne and director of the French Academy in Rome, 1751–1775. Considered during his lifetime the equal of François Bou ...

Jean-Marc Nattier Jean-Marc Nattier (; 17 March 1685 – 7 November 1766) was a French Painting, painter. He was born in Paris, the second son of Marc Nattier (1642–1705), a portrait painter, and of Marie Courtois (1655–1703), a miniaturist. He is noted for hi ...

, Charles-André van Loo, Hubert Robert, Claude Joseph Vernet,

Jean-Baptiste Greuze Jean-Baptiste Greuze (, 21 August 1725 – 4 March 1805) was a French painter of portraits, genre scenes, and history painting. Early life Greuze was born at Tournus, a market town in Burgundy. He is generally said to have formed his own ...

, Joseph-Marie Vien, Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun,

Jacques-Louis David Jacques-Louis David (; 30 August 1748 – 29 December 1825) was a French painter in the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era. In the 1780s, his cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in ...

and from the 19th century by

Théodore Chassériau Théodore Chassériau (; ; September 20, 1819 – October 8, 1856) was a Dominican-born French Romantic painter noted for his portraits, historical and religious paintings, allegorical murals, and Orientalist images inspired by his travels to A ...

Charles-François Daubigny Charles-François Daubigny ( , , ; 15 February 181719 February 1878) was a French painter, one of the members of the Barbizon school, and is considered an important precursor of impressionism. He was also a prolific printmaker, mostly in etching ...

Gustave Courbet Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet ( ; ; ; 10 June 1819 – 31 December 1877) was a French painter who led the Realism movement in 19th-century French painting. Committed to painting only what he could see, he rejected academic convention and the ...

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot ( , , ; 16 July 1796 – 22 February 1875), or simply Camille Corot, was a French Landscape art, landscape and Portraitist, portrait painter as well as a printmaking, printmaker in etching. A pivotal figure in ...

, Jean-François Millet,

Honoré Daumier Honoré-Victorin Daumier (; February 26, 1808 – February 10 or 11, 1879) was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, whose many works offer commentary on the social and political life in France, from the July Revolution, Revolution of 1830 ...

, etc. * A significant number of Italian paintings are also present, including works by

Pietro Perugino Pietro Perugino ( ; ; born Pietro Vannucci or Pietro Vanucci; – 1523), an Italian Renaissance painter of the Umbrian school, developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance. Raphael became his most famou ...

, Giulio Romano, Jacopo Bassano, Giovanni Cariani,

Giorgio Vasari Giorgio Vasari (30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance painter, architect, art historian, and biographer who is best known for his work ''Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'', considered the ideol ...

, Lavinia Fontana and

Cristofano Allori Cristofano Allori (17 October 1577 – 1 April 1621) was an Italian painter of the late Florentine Mannerist school, painting mostly portraits and religious subjects. Biography Allori was born at Florence and received his first lessons in paintin ...

from the 16th century, and with

Annibale Carracci Annibale Carracci ( , , ; November 3, 1560 – July 15, 1609) was an Italian painter and instructor, active in Bologna and later in Rome. Along with his brother Agostino Carracci, Agostino and cousin Ludovico Carracci, Ludovico (with whom the Ca ...

Carlo Dolci Carlo (or Carlino) Dolci (25 May 1616 – 17 January 1686) was an Italian Baroque painter, active mainly in Florence, known for highly finished religious pictures, often repeated in many versions. Biography He was born in Florence, on his mother' ...

Guido Reni Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian Baroque painter, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religious works, but al ...

Guercino Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (February 8, 1591 – December 22, 1666),Miller, 1964 better known as (il) Guercino (), was an Italian Baroque painter and draftsman from Cento in the Emilia region, who was active in Rome and Bologna. The vigorous n ...

, Gioacchino Assereto,

Mattia Preti Mattia Preti (24 February 1613 – 3 January 1699) was an Italian Baroque artist who worked in Italy and Malta. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Saint John. Life Born in the small town of Taverna in Calabria, Preti was called ''Il Ca ...

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (baptized 23 March 16095 May 1664) was an Italian Baroque painter, printmaker and draftsman, of the Genoese school (painting), Genoese school. He is best known now for his etchings, and as the inventor of the printm ...

Carlo Maratta Carlo Maratta or Maratti (18 May 162515 December 1713) was an Italian Baroque painter and Drawing, draughtsman, active principallly in Rome where he was the leading painter in the second half of the 17th century. He was a fresco and canvas painte ...

, Giovanni Lanfranco, Luca Giordano, Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo (''Le Christ et la femme adultère''), and also

Canaletto Giovanni Antonio Canal (18 October 1697 – 19 April 1768), commonly known as Canaletto (), was an Italian painter from the Republic of Venice, considered an important member of the 18th-century Venetian school. Painter of cityscapes or ...

and Giovanni Paolo Panini (''La Galerie de tableaux du cardinal Valenti Gonzaga'') from the 17th and 18th centuries. * Spanish paintings from the golden age are notably represented by

Jusepe de Ribera Jusepe de Ribera (; baptised 17 February 1591 – 3 November 1652) was a Spanish painter and Printmaking, printmaker. Ribera, Francisco de Zurbarán, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, and the singular Diego Velázquez, are regarded as the major artist ...

and Antonio de Pereda. * The Northern schools from the same period are represented by works by Jan Brueghel the Younger,

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...

(''Chasse au sanglier''), Louis Finson,

Jacob Jordaens Jacques (Jacob) Jordaens (19 May 1593 – 18 October 1678Jacques Jordaens
in the Netherlands Institute for Ar ...

, Frans Snyders and David Teniers the Younger.

Gallery

File:Cariani-Saint-Sébastien-Marseille.jpg, Giovanni Cariani, ''St Sebastian between St Roch and St Margaret'' File:Jacopo da Ponte 002.jpg, Jacopo Bassano, ''Construction of Noah's Ark'' File:Louis Finson - Samson and Delilah.jpg, Louis Finson, ''Samson and Delilah'' File:Jordaens La pêche miraculeuse.jpg,

Jacob Jordaens Jacques (Jacob) Jordaens (19 May 1593 – 18 October 1678Jacques Jordaens
in the Netherlands Institute for Ar ...

, ''The miraculous draught of fish'' File:Rubens Adoration des bergers.jpg,

, ''Adoration of the shepherds'' File:Longchamp029b Som David.jpg, Matthias Stom, ''

King David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Damas ...

'' File:Saint_Sebastiano_by_Marco_Antonio_Bassetti.jpg, Marco Antonio Bassetti, ''St Sebastian Tended by St Irene'' File:Vouet-Vierge-Marseille.jpg, Simon Vouet, ''Madonna and Child with a rose'' File:David San Rocco.jpg,

, ''Saint Roch interceding with the Virgin'' File:Bompard - Une rue de l'oasis de Chetma.jpg, Maurice Bompard, ''A street of the oasis Chetma'' File:Ziem - Quai du port à Marseille.jpg, Félix Ziem
''Quay of the port of Marseille''

Drawings

From the French school, there is a notable collection of drawings by Pierre Paul Puget. The Italian school is represented with drawings by

Pontormo Jacopo Carucci or Carrucci (; May 24, 1494 – January 2, 1557), usually known as Jacopo (da) Pontormo or simply Pontormo (), was an Italian Mannerist painter and portraitist from the Florentine School. His work represents a profound stylisti ...

, Giovanni Lanfranco, Salvator Rosa and with twenty one Tuscan drawings from the 16th and early 17th centuries by

Fra Angelico Fra Angelico, O.P. (; ; born Guido di Pietro; 18 February 1455) was a Dominican friar and Italian Renaissance painter of the Early Renaissance, described by Giorgio Vasari in his ''Lives of the Artists'' as having "a rare and perfect talent" ...

, Bartolommeo Bandinelli, Francesco Salviati,

Baldassare Peruzzi Baldassare Tommaso Peruzzi (7 March 1481 – 6 January 1536) was an Italian architect and painter, born in a small town near Siena (in Ancaiano, ''frazione'' of Sovicille) and died in Rome. He worked for many years with Bramante, Raphael, and l ...

Il Sodoma Il Sodoma (1477 – 14 February 1549) was the name given to the Italy, Italian Renaissance Painting, painter Giovanni Antonio Bazzi. Il Sodoma painted in a manner that superimposed the High Renaissance style of early 16th-century Rome onto the tr ...

and

. File:Baccio Bandinelli - Larron crucifié.jpg, Bartolommeo Bandinelli, ''Study of a crucified thief'', 16th century File:Francesco Salviati - Figure de dos.jpg, Francesco Salviati, ''Man seen from the back carrying an urn'', 16th century File:Giorgio Vasari - Saint Pierre.jpg,

, ''St Peter of Verona exorcising a demon personified by a Madonna and Child'', 1570s. File:Pierino da Vinci - Le Comte Ugolin.jpg, Pierino da Vinci, ''The count Ugolino and his children in prison, visited by Hunger'', 16th century

Sculptures

The museum possesses a remarkable collection of sculpture by Pierre Paul Puget (1620–1694), as well as ''La Méditation'', a masterpiece by

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (; ; 12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a u ...

, offered to the museum by the artist himself.

References

Citations Sources * * *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Musee des beaux-arts de Marseille 4th arrondissement of Marseille Museums in Marseille Art museums and galleries in France