musee d'art classique de mougins

Dear LesleyMany thanks for visiting the Musée d'Art Classique de Mougins and especially for taking the time to post such a great review on Trip Advisor.Our visitors' feedback is essential to us and it is always wonderful to hear that you enjoyed your MACM experience.Best regards Leisa PaoliPresident

Dear AlexanderWonderful to hear that you enjoyed your time spent in the Musée d'Art Classique de Mougins and many thanks for taking the time to post your great review.Here's hoping it will incite your fellow internauts to visit our unique museum situated in the heart of the picturesque village of Mougins.Best regardsLeisa PaoliPresident

Thank you for posting your review on Trip Advisor and we look forward to seeing you again soon at the Musée d'Art Classique de Mougins.During the summer months we stay open until 8pm so you can visit after a day on the beach or before going on for a delightful dinner in the village.Best regardsLeisa PaoliPresident

Many thanks for taking the time to write about your visit to the museum. This is the first time that I have personally felt compelled to answer a client criticism, of which there have been very few. I must disagree with your point that the Matisse works are 'mediocre'. One must remember that, as the name suggests, this is a museum of 'Classical Art' and all art in it must either be from the classical periods themselves or have a direct link to it. It is extremely difficult to source works by artists from the modern era at all that have classical themes and to have found two classical works by Matisse, who didn't even have a classical period, is just extraordinarily lucky. With regard to the quality of the pieces, Matisse'a drawing of the Greek goddess 'Circe', is an extremely high-quality and beautiful artwork, immediately recognisable as Matisse, is a large and complete composition and is in absolutely fantastic condition, sourced at a respectfully substantial price from gallery in San Francisco. You may have also noticed the Matisse drawing of the Emperor Caracalla on the ground floor. While at first sight, this may not be what one would typically expect from Matisse who is known for his female drawings of great beauty using just a few pencil strokes, this is an extremely rare and very early work by the artist, and yet is a very complete and exceptional composition that shows his talents as a young artist before he developed into the grand master of his later works that one may more commonly recognise. The subject matter, a drawing of a bust of Caracalla, also made it an exceptionally lucky find, as we also have a roman bust of Caracalla in the same pose (there are several of them that exist in this guise, perhaps Matisse copied the one in the Louvre) and alongside these Caracalla-themed works have have displayed a bronze military diploma from a Pretorian Guard where the inscription states that served during the time of Caracalla. To have three such rare and yet linked pieces together in one display, is something that you will not see in any museum anywhere else in the world. The work, thought, expense and just pure luck in finding these pieces in three very different locations, is bordering on the impossible.One must remember that our raison d'être is to show high quality ancient artworks that are of either of great beauty and/or of great academic importance (and normally both). Even when looking at the contemporary works of Antony Gormley (a trustee of the British Museum), Marc Quinn (a leading Asian antiquity collector) and Damien Hirst (all three of these artists have exhibited at the British Museum), there are very direct connections between their works displayed and the ancient world. The Gormley statues remind us of Narcissus looking at his reflection, the Quinn man writhing on the floor of the people caught in the ash in Pompeii, Quinn's blind man is sculptured in white marble and set on a roman pediment, while the Hirst spin-painted skull comes from a display of 200 of them shown at the British Museum.Additionally, one must also recognise that it is largely a museum of antiquities and there are many globally important treasurers contained there in. The largest private collection of ancient armour in the world is unrivalled. The sarcophagus from the Temple of Amun, The Conham Hall Hadrian, The Crowe Hall Urn, The Beth Shan Bust, The bronze head of August found in Italy in the 28th century (just returned from being exhibited in Cologne), The Mercury de Bavay (recently exhibited in the Bronze Exhibition the Royal Academy), the Statue of Demeter from the Royal Family of Liechtenstein's collection, The Barberini Tyche, the Bez with an early 17th century Medici provenance, are to name but a few of pieces that would be at home in any of the major museums of the world. We loan pieces on a constant basis. Our Modigliani drawings of caryatids have just left to an international exhibition.People can complain about the price, but we give concessions for just about everyone except working adults in a museum that runs at a constant loss and is pure philanthropy and love of the field on my part, people can complain that it's not the Musee D'orsay or the Met and they're disappointed that they haven't seen billions of Dollars-worth of 20th century oil paintings and I am happy to accept that, but I must disagree that the neither museum, nor any of it's contained works, are 'mediocre'.Christian Levett. MACM Owner and collector.

Dear FrancescaMany thanks for your positive review of the Musée d'Art Classique de Mougins, we are delighted you enjoyed your visit.I have passed on your compliments to the museum staff and have locked away the radio guilty of interfering with the classical music in reception!Best regardsLeisa PaoliPresident

We regret that the only souvenir of your visit to the museum is the admission fee, when the collection of over 800 original pieces on display, over the four floors of this museum, take you on a journey through time starting in ancient Egypt, travelling through Greece and Rome to bring you to the present day. With ancient artefacts exhibited next to great artists who have been inspired by classicism throughout the centuries such as Picasso, Matisse, Rubens, Cocteau, Chagall, Warhol or Damien Hirst to mention but a few...We are a privately owned museum and cannot compete with the municipal or national museums that offer free admission, but we do strive to make the visitor's experience an exceptional and worthwhile moment. Best regardsLeisa PaoliPrésidente Directrice

Many thanks for this very flattering review!It's always great to hear that we have repeat visitors and there are always new pieces to discover.You could maybe think about joining our association and becoming an 'Ami du MACM' this gives you a year pass to come to the museum as many times as you like.Thanks again and hope to see you soon.Best regardsLeisa PaoliPrésidente Directrice

Dear MarkWe are delighted you enjoyed the Musée d'Art Classique de Mougins and its collection of over 800 pieces ranging from ancient Egypt to the present day.As a private museum we do have charges that you may not come across in French national or municipal museums but we hope that this did not entirely overshadow the pleasure of your museum experience at the MACM.Best regardsLeisa PaoliPrésidente Directrice

Yes the exhibition of chocolate sculptures was an added surprise to the already eclectic collection of the Musée d'Art Classique de Mougins, which juxtaposes ancient and modern art side by side, so one can understand the inspiration so many artists have found, over the centuries, in the ancient civilisations.Thank you so much for taking the time to post such a fabulous review on Trip Advisor.Best regardsLeisa PaoliPrésidente Directrice

Always great to have a visitor come back and see us and that's great that you got to see the chocolate sculpture exhibition!Thank you very much for taking the time to post such a great review on Trip Advisor and we sincerely hope we'll have the pleasure of a third visit next time you're in Mougins.Best regardsLeisa PaoliPrésidente Directrice

Dear Mike,Very pleased to hear you enjoyed the variety of the Musée d'Art Classique de Mougins' collection and its presentation.We really appreciate you taking the time to post your review on Trip Advisor.Best regardsLeisa PaoliPrésidente Directrice

Dear Mark,So glad you did decide to come into the museum after all and that you appreciated the collection.We have a special promotion with L'Amandier until the end of the year that gives you not a free entry but a 30% reduction on your admission fee. Thanks for taking the time to post your review on Trip Advisor.Best regardsLeisa PaoliPrésidente Directrice

Thank you for such a wonderful review.Yes you can really make a day trip of your visit to the Musée d'Art Classique de Mougins, with a lovely lunch in one of the many restaurants and a pleasant wander round the village's windy streets to discover art galleries and boutiques galore.Best regardsLeisa PaoliPrésidente Directrice

Dear RebeccaMany thanks for such an enthusiastic review, and for driving an hour to visit the museum!Yes it is nice to make a day out of it. The village is so pretty with it's many restaurants to choose from for a pleasant lunch and the numerous art galleries and boutiques to discover as you take a stroll around the beautiful windy streets.And of course your museum ticket is valid all day so you can always pop back in for another look - with such an eclectic collection there's always something you miss the first time round.Best regardsLeisa PaoliPrésidente Directrice

Dear LizThanks for this great review! Lets hope your fellow internauts follow your advice!Best regardsLeisa PaoliPrésidente Directrice