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Travel Guide My Home In Marseille Get to know My Home In Marseille

Fine Arts museum

Marseille is the second largest city in France, after Paris. As for museums, it also holds the same rank with 26 museums, unmatched or surpassed anywhere else except in the capital. Among the oldest museums in Marseille is the Fine Arts one, created in 1801 as part of a government project of that time, aiming to open fifteen museums in the biggest cities of France.Like the Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Fine Arts has been installed since 1869 at the Palais Longchamp, a building built by Henry Espérandieu to the glory of water, arts, nature and science. Before the inauguration of the palace, the museum was sheltered by the convent of the Bernardines.The Museum of Fine Arts in Marseille is particularly proud of its collection of paintings, sculptures and drawings. They consist of more than 8,000 works of the greatest artists from the 16th century to the present day. On the ground floor, one can admire the collections of the 16th and 17th century while the first floor is devoted to art works of the 18th and 19th century.Among these thousands of pieces belonging to the museum, some are quite remarkable, such as the works of Marseille's Pierre Puget, one of the greatest artists of the Baroque era, busts of Honoré Daumier's parliamentarians, the greatest caricaturist of the 19th century and much more.Apart from permanent exhibitions, the museum also hosts various periodical events related to art and culture. Since Marseille was elected European Capital of Culture in 2013, temporary exhibitions and cultural events are increasing and the Museum of Fine Arts does not deviate from this trend.Art lovers are nose-twitchingly happy among paintings and sculptures of the Museum of Fine Arts of Marseille. Strollers, who came to the museum simply out of curiosity, are totally amazed. It is an unique experience to visit this unforgettable place, especially if we remembered to take some souvenir photos in front of the great fountain representing Durance on a chariot, pulled by bulls of Camargue, an emblematic monument of the Palais Longchamp.