Marseille is one of France’s two largest urban agglomerations cities and serves as an important port.
An area filled with humorous anecdotes and regional dialect, and where citizens enjoy delicious cuisine such as bouillabaisse and garlic-saffron fish stew are prevalent here. With a long history of transformation underway and currently experiencing major revitalization.
Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain
Le Musee d’Art Moderne et Contemporain de Marseille (the [mac]) boasts one of France’s premier public collections dedicated to modern and contemporary art, having opened in 1994 as an offshoot of Cantini Museum’s contemporary collections.
L'[mac] collection features eighty works that capture the essential essence of contemporary art movement from 1960-today, such as New Realists, Support Surface Arte Povera Land Art Fluxus among many others as well as numerous installations of sculptures and photographs.
Since April 2023 and Spring 2018, [mac] has seen a major revamp, offering brighter exhibition halls with greater openness as well as a dynamic tour experience. You will discover sculptors Jean-Michel Alberola, Cesar, Erik Dietman and Fabrice Gygi at its gardens of welcome – you may also catch sight of Jean-Michel Alberola’s artwork! Additionally, an exciting series of exhibits rotate regularly through its halls; along its edges you may come across work by Jean-Michel Alberola himself! At its entrance lies Jean-Michel Alberola himself! You will discover his works alongside those by Cesar, Cesar Erik Dietman and Fabrice Gygi’s sculptures by Jean-Michel Alberola himself! Starting April 2023 until spring 2018 however [MAC] underwent major refurbishments offering spacious yet brightened exhibition rooms as well as dynamically reviewed courses in its permanent revisited tours that continually revisited various routes that regularly revisited routes so frequently visited routes were regularly revisited more frequently by artists Jean Michel Alberola himself sculptor Jean Michel Alberola Alberola Cesar Erik Dietman and Fabrice Gygi. Fabrice Gygi and Fabrice Gygi too! Fabrice Gygi! Since April 2023 until spring last spring it underwent its major revamp which boasts spacious bright exhibition halls as well as dynamically revisited tours that make [mac].
At 9 rue Edouard Stephan in Marseille, the Museum of Contemporary Art offers a journey from its foundation through to present day. On display are tableaux, sculptures and paintings by such notable artists as Pierre Paul Puget, Charles Le Brun and Jusepe de Ribera among many others. Additionally there are archaeological treasures recovered during excavations in the region such as Roman ship relics; medieval fortifications; coque of Roman ship; Remparts from an attic where potters once worked and vestiges from medieval potters workshops among many more. Parking nearby makes this museum easily accessible with entrance free admission; parking nearby is readily available nearby! Parking available nearby! Monday-Saturday; Free Entry/Parking available nearby /
Musée de la Vieille Port
The Musee de la Vieille Port serves as an excellent starting point for many excursions: board the Petit Train de Marseille, rent a segway and visit islands or calanques – not forgetting easy access from most parts of the city center! Additionally, this museum can be enjoyed simply walking by.
The Musee is housed in a building constructed of softly glowing golden-pink limestone quarried from La Couronne on the Blue Coast north of Marseille. Its apses feature seagull-themed sculptural figures while windows display objects recovered from 20 shipwrecks off Marseille harbor. Fully accessible to those with visual, hearing or mobility impairments as well as providing additional information about each exhibit via mobile phone app download, it’s open year round – and free!
Just two steps away from the Old Port (Vieux-Port), the Marseille history museum boasts both permanent and temporary exhibition spaces, offering something for every interest. Their extensive collection traces the region’s history from antiquity through modernity; particularly notable are their collections of 17th century lithographs and manuscripts.
The Musee is one of the foremost centers for contemporary art in southern France. Boasting numerous spaces dedicated to temporary exhibitions and featuring works by numerous contemporary artists like Georges Braque, Andre Rouille, Paul Cezanne and Victor Gelu among many others; as well as permanent and temporary displays it also houses an education centre and auditorium and welcomes visitors daily from 10am-8pm; admission for those with disabilities and their carers is complimentary.
Musée de la Méditerrannée
Marseille is a city where history and present collide. Once an important colonial port for France, its architecture commemorates their triumphant empire’s victories. Furthermore, Marseille became home for some prominent French artists like Victor Gelu, Valere Bernard, Pierre Bertas and Edmond Rostand as well as its natural beauty inspiring painters such as Auguste Renoir and Paul Cezanne who masterfully captured its ever-changing landscape through painting.
The Musee de la Mediterrannee, or Museum of Mediterranean Civilisations, opened as Europe’s Capital of Culture in 2013. This museum focuses on European and Mediterranean civilisations with particular attention paid to contemporary ones. Designed by Rudy Ricciotti – son of an Algerian pied-noir family that fled – as a “vertical kasbah,” its unique architectural language embodies its mission of avoiding stereotypes and moving past divisions.
At its three locations – J4, Fort Saint Jean and Centre de Conservation et de Ressources (CCR), it boasts more than 40.000 m2 of exhibition space. Of particular note is J4 on an old mole portuaire built over two levels; here you’ll find its heart. On its first floor you will find Galerie de L’Europe et du Moyen-Orient while its second hosts its exhibitions.
MUCEM houses amazing archaeological treasures from Ancient Egyptian sarcophagi to statues and other artifacts such as bone pins, antique makeup palettes, scribe’s rings and arrowheads – making it one of the region’s most visited museums. Additionally, its new addition is the GR2013, a marked-out hiking path which passes over Saint-Jean harbor via footbridge and travels around building by Rudy Ricciotti, providing an open-air museum experience through which visitors are taken on their route around his building where exhibits take place along its entirety.
Musée de la Marine
The Musee de la Marine boasts one of the world’s premier maritime and naval history collections, dating back over 250 years. As an institution, its collections reflect the complex, multidimensional nature of oceanic environments with art history, science and technology, traditions, popular culture and human adventure all coming together here. As a public museum open to change it serves society well while raising awareness for conserving our collective asset – making an excellent museum visit experience!
Marseille is an active and dynamic industrial city on France’s Mediterranean Coast, boasting diverse economic activities from light manufacturing to high tech industries and an active cultural scene with many theaters and music venues. Additionally, its Musee de la Marine forms an essential part of its cultural legacy – recently undergoing an ambitious rejuvenation effort designed to expand offerings while offering more holistic perspectives of sealife than its militaristic roots allowed for. As such, its revitalized version has become an iconic cultural landmark within Marseille and an essential site to visit by any history buff!
This major maritime museum houses an impressive array of historic models and artifacts dating back to the 17th century. The expansive galleries showcase ship paintings, navigational gadgets, antique model ships and maritime relics dating from that era – as well as outposts in other cities such as Port-Louis, Rochefort and Toulon. Furthermore, they boast a comprehensive research center equipped with many experts from various fields – with access provided from Trocadero station which serves lines 6 and 9. Marseille has great access via public transit too – although public transport alone may not give access to these museums!
Musée d’Art Contemporain de Marseille
Musee d’Art Contemporain de Marseille is an internationally acclaimed cultural institution dedicated to the presentation and promotion of contemporary works of art. Its expansive exhibition spaces have been specifically designed to accommodate an eclectic range of artistic media such as paintings, sculpture, photography, video art and video installations from French as well as international artists dating from early 20th century through present day artists; temporary exhibitions are regularly organised as well.
In 2013, Marseille was selected as European Capital of Culture alongside Kosice as part of an ambitious initiative that sought to give EU institutions a human face, promote culture as a tool for economic development, intercultural dialogue and human rights promotion, host over 900 cultural events and invest over 600 million euros into new cultural infrastructure including MuCEM.
The museum features exhibitions that cover Mediterranean themes as well as those related to Europe and the world, featuring anthropology, history, archaeology and art history as well as modern and contemporary works of art. Furthermore, its programming serves as a platform for discussing relevant contemporary issues.
MuCEM boasts over 8,000 artworks from French, Italian and Flemish schools as well as works by painters like Perugino, Rubens and David. Additionally, major works by Puget and Daumier sculptors as well as modern and contemporary installations are part of its vast collection. Additionally, its architecture, which recalls that of an industrial warehouse is a striking feature of the cityscape with its saw-tooth roof visible from many locations around town illuminating over 2,500 square meters of exhibition space that illuminates exhibition space 2,500 square meters in all. Open hours run Tuesday to Saturday 10am-6pm each time.