There are all kinds of museums in Paris; some are very popular while others are more intimate. I had already mentioned this museum on the previous blog where I used to write, but I wanted to redo an article on the Jean-Jacques Henner Museum right here. The latter, which just reopened in May 2016 after several months of renovations, presents the works of this 19th-century painter inside a beautiful mansion dating back to the same era.
The career of Jean-Jacques Henner is exhibited across four levels, intelligently contrasting the painter’s “official” production with his more intimate and personal pictorial research. Apparently an extremely popular painter in his time and famous for his painting Alsace. She awaits from 1871, which illustrated the annexation of the province by the German Empire, Jean-Jacques Henner has fallen a bit into oblivion today, just like this museum it seems to me, and I find that a pity.
It’s a pity because the visit is worth a look if only for the location, which was already an artist’s house in the 19th century, that of painter Guillaume Dubufe, a contemporary of Henner. The interior decor is embellished with a collection of Egyptian mashrabiya screens, Delft pottery, wrought iron, and majolica, which gives the place a special atmosphere. I was also seduced by certain portraits with a somewhat sketchy look, which made me think of Pre-Raphaelite paintings.
Jean-Jacques Henner Museum
43, avenue de Villiers 75017 Paris
Open from 11 am to 6 pm every day except Tuesday and certain public holidays; late opening until 9 pm on the first Thursday of the month
Rates: Full rate €8 / reduced rate €6
The Good Tip: free admission for everyone on the 1st Sunday of each month / for young people from the European Union under 26 years old / for primary and secondary school teachers of the national education system / for job seekers and RSA recipients
Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez Photos not royalty-free; photographer's authorization is mandatory before any use
