Located at the entrance to the Vieux Port, the Mucem has become Marseille’s leading museum since it opened in 2013. Renowned worldwide for its architecture combining technical brilliance and powerful design, the Mucem is the most important museum dedicated to the Mediterranean. Its two buildings, the J4 and the Fort Saint-Jean, take visitors on a journey that em- braces sky and sea, heritage and modernity, city and gardens. Spanning the arts, anthropology, history and archaeology, its exhibitions explore the major cultural, social, scientific and political issues past and present of the European Mediterranean world.

Located at the entrance to the Vieux Port, the Mucem has become Marseille’s leading museum since it opened in 2013. Renowned worldwide for its architecture combining technical brilliance and powerful design, the Mucem is the most important museum dedicated to the Mediterranean. Its two buildings, the J4 and the Fort Saint-Jean, take visitors on a journey that em- braces sky and sea, heritage and modernity, city and gardens. Spanning the arts, anthropology, history and archaeology, its exhibitions explore the major cultural, social, scientific and political issues past and present of the European Mediterranean world.

Programme

Palimpsest – 01. Endri Dani. 2010. Albanie. Métal peint © Endri Dani
Palimpsest – 01. Endri Dani. 2010. Albanie. Métal peint © Endri Dani
Sujet de manège, lion, Washington 1989/1900 ©Mucem Marianne Kuhn
Sujet de manège, lion, Washington 1989/1900 ©Mucem Marianne Kuhn
Boule à neige © Mucem
Boule à neige © Mucem

Popular?

Venue: Mucem, J4

This permanent exhibition showcases what makes up the “bulk” of the museum, telling all the stories that led to the acquisitions, the life stories of the items, and the reasons why they were brought into the museum’s reserves, past and present. Alongside the 1,200 objects and documents from the Mucem’s historical collections or those more recently acquired by the museum, an immersive digital mediation system uses a selection of objects to evoke the idea of ‘popular culture’ that permeates its collections.

Hélène Bellenger Sans titre (bianco piastraccia), série « Bianco ordinario » (« Blanc ordinaire ») 2023 Impression jet d’encre sur carton 23 x 16 cm Mucem, Marseille © Hélène Bellenger
Hélène Bellenger Sans titre (bianco piastraccia), série « Bianco ordinario » (« Blanc ordinaire ») 2023 Impression jet d’encre sur carton 23 x 16 cm Mucem, Marseille © Hélène Bellenger
Atelier de moulage des musées nationaux Buste de Laocoon 2023 Paris, France (Original en marbre, vers 40 av. J.-C., Rome, musées du Vatican, musée Pio-Clementino) Tirage en plâtre 65 × 40 × 33 cm Mucem, Marseille © Mucem / Marianne Kuhn
Atelier de moulage des musées nationaux Buste de Laocoon 2023 Paris, France (Original en marbre, vers 40 av. J.-C., Rome, musées du Vatican, musée Pio-Clementino) Tirage en plâtre 65 × 40 × 33 cm Mucem, Marseille © Mucem / Marianne Kuhn
Jules Migonney (1876-1926), Tamaroud-Kabylie, 1910 © Mucem/Marianne Khun
Jules Migonney (1876-1926), Tamaroud-Kabylie, 1910 © Mucem/Marianne Khun

Méditerranées

Venue: Mucem, J4 (Niveau 2)

The exhibition looks at the way in which the Mediterranean has been constructed as an element of natural, artistic and ethnological heritage – three approaches comparable in construction over time. It shows how museums have presented the Mediterranean theme. The exhibition will present the Mucem and its identity from a historical and disciplinary perspective, demonstrating both its origins and its uniqueness in the museum landscape.

François Tuefferd, Pinito del Oro au Madison Square Garden, NY 1954 © Mucem, François Tuefferd
François Tuefferd, Pinito del Oro au Madison Square Garden, NY 1954 © Mucem, François Tuefferd
Portrait du magicien Yanco par René Techer, 1970-1980 © Mucem, René Techer
Portrait du magicien Yanco par René Techer, 1970-1980 © Mucem, René Techer

In the ring! Clowns, Pierrots, and acrobats

Venue: Mucem, J4— J4

Behind the huckster's vestibule opens the nave with its tricolour runways, a sky of canvas, wires, acrobatics, flying costumes, ghostly images, and as satellites, the Parade of clowns, the bêtes savantes, a remnant of a menagerie, stacks, inside-outside, a string of shacks, huts and cubbyholes, fairground stalls, objects of chance, backstage areas, heroic collectors, all sorts of stages, Mondo nuovo, trestles, illusionist's trestles, like relics, traces of poets and tightrope walkers, madmen and madwomen of acrobatics and comedy.

Access

Mucem - Musée des Civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée
1, esplanade du J4
13002 Marseille
+33 (0)4 84 35 13 13
mucem.org

The Mucem is open every day except Tuesday.
Exceptionally closed on May 1st and December 25th

July - August : 10am - 8pm
September - October : 10am - 7pm
November - March : 10am - 6pm
April - June : 10am - 7pm

Locate other art venues in the vicinity on the map.

Discover our address book

CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERIES

Double V Gallery : The trendy contemporary art gallery in Marseille.
Galerie Béa-Ba : A hub for contemporary painting.

CULTURE & HERITAGE

Friche La Belle de mai : An arts and culture factory and a living place.
Coco Velten : A place for working and encounters with a collaborative cultural programme.
Fotokino : Exhibitions, screenings, workshops and conferences.

TO DISCOVER

Lucy Luce : the workshop-boutique of a jewelry designer and organic sculptures.
JoggingJogging : concept et fashion store.

BOAT TRIP

Le Don du Vent : Boat rental and private boat services.

PLACES TO STAY

Les Bords de Mer : Mini-refuge, maxi-vue : 19 bedrooms facing the big blue.
Hôtel Le Ryad : Well located at the top of la Canebière in the city center.
La Résidence du Vieux Port : 4-star hotel with a retro decor, inspired by Le Corbusier and Pouillon.
Tuba Club : A restyled former diving club in the Goudes district. 5 bedrooms and a restaurant with a breathtaking view of the Calanques.

PLACES TO EAT

La Marine des Goudes : A mythical place in the heart of the little port of Les Goudes, inviting the sea to enter and guests to sail.
Sépia : Seasonal cooking. Covered terrace and view of the city.
La Parenthèse : Terrace with tapas to share in a quiet alley of La Vieille Chapelle district.
Chez Yassine : Tunisian halal specialties. A must-go of Eastern cuisine in the Noailles district.
Yima: A family Eastern canteen in the Noailles district.
Toïa : For the ceviche lovers, a tasty cuisine made with fresh and seasonal products.
La cantine de Lynn : A delicious small restaurant, home cooking and a welcoming atmosphere.

WINE BARS & GROCERY

Les Buvards : An excellent selection of natural wines and healthy products in this natural wine bar pioneer in Marseille.
Épicerie L’Idéal : Fresh goat cheese, Camargue lamb, an excellent selection of products from the Mediterranean Basin to take away and meals to eat in.
Maison Geney : Canteen, delicatessen and tearoom with homemade products, a simple and generous cooking in the Panier district.