Musée de Grenoble

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5 place Lavalette, 38000 Grenoble, France Website
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In short

The Musée de Grenoble, founded in 1798 and housed since 1994 beside the Isère, runs from Egyptian antiquities and old masters to Matisse, Picasso and contemporary work. Its permanent collection is free; the main exhibition costs €14 and is free under 26. Hours are 10:00 to 18:30, closed Tuesdays. Two hours suits the collection, three with the exhibition, and the Bastille cable car is close by.

The Musée de Grenoble is the city's fine arts museum, at 5 place Lavalette on the bank of the Isère in Grenoble, in the French Alps. Its permanent collection, from Egyptian antiquities and old masters to Matisse, Picasso and contemporary art, is free to visit. It suits anyone in Grenoble for a day, and it pairs easily with the cable car up to the Bastille.

Louis-Joseph Jay, a drawing teacher, founded it on 16 February 1798 as the Museum of Painting and Sculpture. He raised a first collection of 116 paintings and some statues by public subscription, and the museum survived an early government attempt to cancel it. Gifts built up the old master rooms. In 1901 General de Beylié gave four paintings by Francisco de Zurbarán, and the Spanish and French 17th-century galleries, with Philippe de Champaigne and Georges de La Tour, remain a strength. Rubens is also represented.

The museum's daring came later. Andry-Farcy, curator from 1919 to 1949, bought works by Matisse, Picasso, Monet and other modern artists in the face of fierce criticism, and Grenoble became the first museum in France to collect modern art seriously. Matisse's Interior with Aubergines and Picasso's Glass of 1914 date from that period, with Chagall and Léger close by.

For most of its history the collection shared a building with the city library. The present purpose-built museum opened in January 1994. The route runs in chronological order through 57 rooms, from antiquity to contemporary work by Soulages and Warhol. Outside, a sculpture park lines the river. Next door stands the Tour de l'Isle, a defensive tower built in 1401 and linked to the museum by a glass and steel walkway; it now shows exhibitions from the drawings collection.

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Key information
🏛️Founded: 1798; present building opened 1994
🖼️Collection: Old masters to modern art: one of France's first modern art collections
⭐Highlights: Matisse, Picasso, Chagall, Rubens and Zurbarán
🏰Setting: Beside the Isère, with the medieval Tour de l'Isle
💰Entry: Permanent collections free
🕕Time Zone: Central European Time (UTC+1; UTC+2 in summer)

Explore the area

View in a map
Place Notre-Dame 200 m
Grenoble-Bastille cable car 600 m
Musée Dauphinois 800 m
Old town (Place Grenette) 700 m
Notre-Dame – Musée tram stop (B, C) 200 m
See all about this area
✦ Plan your visit to Musée de Grenoble Dates, opening hours and how to get there are below. Booking ahead secures your preferred day.
Highlights Include:
Old masters
  • Rubens
  • Zurbarán
  • Georges de La Tour
Modern art
  • Matisse's Interior with Aubergines
  • Picasso
  • Chagall and Léger
Outside
  • Sculpture park
  • Tour de l'Isle
What They Offer
Free collections Permanent collections free
Exhibitions Main temporary exhibition ticketed
Café Museum café
Visit duration 2 hours, or 3 with the temporary show
Timed entry required No

Accessibility

Drop-off point for reduced mobility in front of the museum; wheelchairs lent when available.

Age limits

None.

What to pack

Ticket on your phone, ID for reduced or free entry

What to wear

Comfortable shoes

Not allowed

Touching the works, food and drink in the galleries, flash photography, large bags, selfie sticks

Amenities

Café, bookshop, cloakroom, restrooms; free cloakroom, pushchairs and wheelchairs lent when available, café, bookshop

Tips for visiting Musée de Grenoble

  • Remember the museum closes on Tuesdays.
  • Enjoy the free permanent collection and pay only for the main exhibition if it interests you.
  • Follow the rooms in order to see the history of art unfold.
  • Walk through the sculpture park outside.
  • Pair the visit with the Bastille cable car nearby.

Admission tickets

Entry is free.

Official entry ticket

Musée de Grenoble: Free Collections

Permanent collections free; main exhibition ticketed.

  • Free permanent collections
  • Main temporary exhibition extra
Admission

Free entry: no ticket or booking is needed.

Permanent collections free; main temporary exhibition €14 (€7 reduced), free under 26

Opening hours

Open now · 10:00 AM - 6:30 PM · Last entry About 30 minutes before closing

All opening hours

Visitor policy

Check availability
Cancellation and prepayment
Tickets are generally non-refundable; check the museum's booking terms.
Children and admission
Free in the permanent collections for all.
Groups
Groups must book in advance with the museum.
Pets
Only assistance dogs are admitted.
Photography
Personal photography without flash is generally allowed in the permanent collection; some temporary exhibitions forbid it.
Bags
Large bags and suitcases must be left in the cloakroom or are refused; bags are checked at the entrance.
Smoking
Not permitted inside the museum.
Accepted payment
Exhibition tickets by card.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Answers based on the museum's official information.

General

Yes, the permanent collections are free for everyone. Only the main temporary exhibition is ticketed, at 14 euros (7 reduced), and it is free for under-26s and on the first Sunday of the month.