The Musée Gustave Moreau, explained

I’ve lived on Rue des Martyrs since 2009 and take groups to the Musée Gustave Moreau at least once a month. Here’s what I say every time before pushing open the door at 14 Rue Catherine-de-La-Rochefoucauld, and how I answer the questions that come up on the way out.

What it actually is

It’s the house where Gustave Moreau lived and worked from 1852, when his parents bought the hôtel on Rue de La Rochefoucauld. In April 1895, he asked architect Albert Lafon to transform it into a museum: the building was expanded, raised by one floor, and two large superimposed studios were connected by a spiral staircase. By his will, dated 10 September 1897, he bequeathed the house and everything it contained to the State, on the condition that its “overall character, which always allows one to appreciate the sum of the artist’s work and efforts,” be preserved. He died on 18 April 1898; the State accepted the bequest in 1902, and the museum opened on 14 January 1903, with his former student Georges Rouault as its first curator. I go into more detail on the history of the house-museum page.

Why it’s not a museum like any other

Because it was the painter himself who hung his works, floor to ceiling, and no one has touched them since. Nearly 14,000 works are kept here: around 1,200 paintings, many of them sketches and unfinished canvases, 350 watercolours, over 13,000 drawings, and 15 wax models. The drawings are stored in pivoting shutter cabinets that Moreau designed himself, and you leaf through them standing up, just as he did. The museum receives around 40,000 visitors a year, whereas the major Parisian museums count their visitors in the millions. In practice, you’re often alone in the third-floor studio. You should also know what’s missing: labels are rare, there’s no café, and the floors are reached by stairs.

What to see, and in what order

I always follow the same route. On the ground floor, six small rooms overlooking the garden, including the reception room restored in 2003, with drawings and copies after the Italian masters. On the first floor, the apartment, opened to the public in 1991: dining room, bedroom, boudoir, study-library, a largely intact 19th-century bourgeois interior. Then the large studio on the second floor and, via the spiral staircase, the third-floor studio where the very large formats are hung. This is where you’ll find Jupiter and Semele (1895), The Chimeras (1884), The Return of the Argonauts (1891–1897), The Unicorns, and the painted version of The Apparition. I save the drawing cabinets for last, once the group has understood what they’re looking at. The complete list, with dates, is on the works to see page. If you’re looking for Oedipus and the Sphinx, it’s in New York, and Orpheus, Galatea, and Jason are at the Musée d’Orsay.

When to go, and how much time to allow

The museum is open every day except Tuesday, from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with the galleries closing a quarter of an hour before. It is closed on January 1st, May 1st, and December 25th. There is no mandatory time slot; you may enter whenever you wish. Allow one to one and a half hours, or two hours if you open the drawers of the drawings, which I recommend. Admission is free on the first Sunday of the month, for those under 18, and for EU nationals aged 18–25; otherwise, the ticket is one of the least expensive in Paris, and it grants a reduced rate at five other museums, including the Musée d’Orsay and the Palais Garnier. Details are on the tickets page. Weekday mornings are the quietest time, but honestly, it is never crowded.

How to combine it with the Musée d’Orsay, Palais Garnier, or Montmartre

The museum takes up a morning, not a full day. Three sequences seem logical to me. The first: take line 12 to Solférino and the Musée d’Orsay, where the large canvases by Moreau that you will not have seen on Rue de La Rochefoucauld are displayed; an afternoon guided tour of the Musée d’Orsay makes for a coherent day, from Symbolism to Impressionism. The second: a ten- to twelve-minute walk south to the Palais Garnier, whose gilded decor speaks the same language as Moreau’s studios. The third: head back up via Pigalle to Montmartre, a twenty- to twenty-five-minute climb. If you are visiting several major museums over two days or more, the Paris Museum Pass includes the Musée Gustave Moreau along with over sixty other sites; otherwise, the museum’s ticket is sufficient.

Who should skip it

Someone who wants explanations for every painting, as the labels do not provide them and there is no audio guide. Someone who cannot climb two or three flights of stairs. Someone who has only two days in Paris and has not yet seen either the Louvre or the Musée d’Orsay. For everyone else, and especially for those who have already visited the major museums and are looking for a place where you can hear your own footsteps, this is the museum I recommend first in the 9th arrondissement. My detailed opinion is on the is it worth a visit page.

Ready to plan your day?

The museum itself can be visited without a reservation. What you may want to book is the rest of your day: the Paris Museum Pass, which includes the museum, a guided tour of the Musée d’Orsay where his major paintings hang, or the Palais Garnier a ten-minute walk away.

Frequently asked questions