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

Jacopo Bassano (d’après), Lazare et le mauvais riche, XVIIe siècle. Huile sur toile, d’après un tableau du XVIe siècle. Musée de Tessé, Le Mans © Musées du Mans     Jacopo Bassano (d’après), Lazare et le mauvais riche, XVIIe siècle. Huile sur toile, d’après un tableau du XVIe siècle. Musée de Tessé, Le Mans © Musées du Mans
Jacopo Bassano (d’après), Lazare et le mauvais riche, XVIIe siècle. Huile sur toile, d’après un tableau du XVIe siècle. Musée de Tessé, Le Mans © Musées du Mans Jacopo Bassano (d’après), Lazare et le mauvais riche, XVIIe siècle. Huile sur toile, d’après un tableau du XVIe siècle. Musée de Tessé, Le Mans © Musées du Mans

Le Grand Mezzé

Venue: Mucem, J4 (ground floor) / Galerie de la Méditerranée 1

The Mediterranean diet today is, in fact, synonymous with two simultaneous and antagonistic trends: on the one hand, its globalisation, and on the other hand, the necessary reappropriation in the Mediterranean of its production and cuisine. The exhibition invites us to grasp its specificities as well as how it has evolved.

Curator: Édouard de Laubrie, manager of collections and research, responsible for the “agriculture & food” theme at the Mucem

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.

Section « élevage », vitrine d’exposition avec un gardian en selle à la fin du 19e siècle, photo : André Pelle © Mucem / André Pelle
Section « élevage », vitrine d’exposition avec un gardian en selle à la fin du 19e siècle, photo : André Pelle © Mucem / André Pelle

Passions partagées : la Collection Lambert au Mucem

This exhibition offers a unique dialogue between the collections of gallery owner and art dealer Yvon Lambert – in particular those donated to the State – and the collections of the Mucem. It follows Yvon Lambert’s career path and highlights a number of themes around which the two collections will interact: the popular and the everyday, man and nature, poetry and literature, intimacy and existence. With works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Sol Lewitt, Daniel Buren, Cy Twombly, Nan Goldin, Christian Boltanski...

The exhibition has been conceived and organised by the Collection Lambert and the Mucem.

James Robertson, Les Cariatides de l’Erechteion, Athènes, 1853, tirage photographique, 30,8 × 26 cm. Mucem, inv. 2023.14.1 © Mucem
James Robertson, Les Cariatides de l’Erechteion, Athènes, 1853, tirage photographique, 30,8 × 26 cm. Mucem, inv. 2023.14.1 © Mucem

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.

Pierre Audebert, Île du Levant, 1935. Collection Éliane Schoeffert-Audebert © Archives Pierre Audebert
Pierre Audebert, Île du Levant, 1935. Collection Éliane Schoeffert-Audebert © Archives Pierre Audebert

Naturist paradise

Venue: Mucem, J4

Could living naked to commune with nature be the secret to happiness and health? Are naturism and nudism the same thing? Why and how did France become a “naturist’s paradise”? This exhibition will trace the history and development of European naturism. It will also shed light on the variety of current practices that highlight the desire to live better together in contact with nature and with respect for all body types.

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. (Marseille)
Galerie Béa-Ba : A hub for contemporary painting. (Marseille)

CULTURE & HERITAGE

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

TO DISCOVER

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

BOAT TRIP

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

PLACES TO STAY

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

PLACES TO EAT

Sépia : Seasonal cooking. Covered terrace and view of the city. (Marseille)
La Parenthèse : Terrace with tapas to share in a quiet alley of La Vieille Chapelle district. (Marseille)
Chez Yassine : Tunisian halal specialties. A must-go of Eastern cuisine in the Noailles district. (Marseille)
Yima: A family Eastern canteen in the Noailles district. (Marseille)
Toïa : For the ceviche lovers, a tasty cuisine made with fresh and seasonal products. (Marseille)
La cantine de Lynn : A delicious small restaurant, home cooking and a welcoming atmosphere. (Marseille)

WINE BARS & GROCERY

Les Buvards : An excellent selection of natural wines and healthy products in this natural wine bar pioneer in Marseille. (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. (Marseille)
Maison Geney : Canteen, delicatessen and tearoom with homemade products, a simple and generous cooking in the Panier district. (Marseille)