Gustave Moreau Museum

Moving around in the same area where I have already presented the Museum of the Romantics and the Square d’Orléans, I also visited the Gustave Moreau museum (14, rue de la Rochefoucauld, Paris 9). This is an amazing small museum, which was actually more ore less created by the artist himself, preparing space for his works to be presented in his home. The museum was opened to public five years after his death.

Gustave Moreau (1826-98), was a symbolist painter and a precursor to other famous symbolist painters like Gustav Klimt and Eduard Munch. He is also considered to be a forerunner for later surrealistic painters (Dali, Magritte…). Henri Matisse was one of Moreau’s pupils. Oscar Wilde, Marcel Proust, André Breton among others admired his works (and so do I).

In the museum you can find hundreds of paintings and if you look behind curtains (for light protection) you can also find thousands of drawings, pre studies, aquarelles… His paintings can be found at the Louvre (Paris), National Gallery (London), MMA (NYC)…, but the fact that he has his own museum is perhaps explaining that he may be considered to be underrepresented in many of the greatest museums.

What also is interesting to see at the Paris Moreau museum are the stairs between the two exhibition levels and, on the lower floor, his office, dining room, sleeping room… all preserved as they were.