Address:
19 Chemin des Collettes,
06800 Cagnes-sur-Mer
Presentation
Created in 1960, the Renoir Museum is located in the final home of painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919). It is situated in Cagnes-sur-Mer on the Collettes hill. Renovated in the early 2010s, it showcases the work and life of this brilliant artist through a dozen original paintings, objects and furniture, and old photographs.
A remarkable Mediterranean garden, planted with centuries-old olive trees, orange trees, and fig trees, surrounds the museum.
Renoir’s arrival in Cagnes-sur-MerL’arrivée de Renoir à Cagnes-sur-Mer
In 1897, Renoir developed the first symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, a debilitating and painful disease that his doctors advised him to treat by moving to the south of France. Although he was already familiar with the south of France, having visited and painted there with Claude Monet (1840-1926) and his family, it was thanks to his friend and fellow painter Ferdinand Deconchy (1859-1946) that he discovered Cagnes-sur-Mer at the beginning of the 20th century.
domain acquisition
During his first stays, he settled with his family in a house in the old village. Then, in 1907, he and his wife Aline Charigot (1859-1915) bought the Collettes estate, consisting of a large plot of land planted with olive trees and a farm.
The construction of the house
In 1908, the Renoirs decided to hire architect Jules Febvre (1859-1934), who was very active in the region, to build them a large neo-Provençal style house. The family enjoyed exceptional comfort for the time: running water, electricity, heating, etc.
Renoir had two studios built for painting, to which he added a third in the garden a few years later.
The farmhouse was renovated to accommodate the painter’s friends.
Daily life at Les Collettes
The family stays in Cagnes-sur-Mer during the winter. Renoir takes advantage of the Mediterranean light to paint, while Aline takes care of the house and garden. The weeks are punctuated by olive picking, bitter orange blossom gathering, and numerous visits from friends.
Renoir’s work at Les Collettes
In Cagnes-sur-Mer, freed from material constraints, Renoir painted landscapes, female nudes, and portraits of those around him.
It was also at Les Collettes that he created sculptures with Richard Guino inspired by his works and Greco-Roman mythology.
The birth of the museum
When the master died in 1919, his children inherited the estate, which they maintained with care. In 1960, the municipality acquired the property from the painter’s youngest son, Claude Renoir (1901-1969), and transformed it into a museum. Today, in addition to the original furniture, the Renoir Museum exhibits objects and furniture that belonged to Renoir, including his easel and wheelchair, as well as portraits, landscapes, and nudes painted by the artist.
In the early 2010s, the entire site underwent an exemplary renovation, which included restoring the house and refurbishing and opening to visitors the garden level of the house, now dedicated to displaying sculptures by Renoir and the sculptor Richard Guino (1890-1973).
Overview of the Renoir Museum collections
The Renoir Museum houses a rich collection of original works, photographs, letters, archives, ceramics, objects, and furniture that form a coherent whole, bearing witness to the painter’s career, that of his sons, his artistic friendships, and the daily life of the family at Les Collettes.
En 2013, le musée Renoir a fait l’acquisition aux enchères à New York, avec l’aide précieuse des Amis du musée Renoir, d’un lot d’archives et d’un fonds photographique regroupant plus d’une centaine de négatifs sur plaques de verre. En 2018, est entré dans les collections un très beau paysage peint vers 1905 par Renoir, représentant la vallée de la Cagne et le baou de Saint-Jeannet.
My visit to the Renoir Museum
Practical information
Opening hours
Open every day except Tuesday
From June to September: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (gardens open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.).
October to March: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
April to May: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Closed annually on January 1, May 1, and December 25
The ticket office closes 30 minutes before the museum closes.
As a result, evacuation procedures begin 15 minutes before closing time.
Accessibility for persons with reduced mobility
For people with reduced mobility, a vehicle facilitates travel within the Collettes area between the reception and the museum. An elevator is available to facilitate access to the different floors of the museum. Walking sticks are available for loan.
Guide dogs are authorized.
Rates
Adults: €6.
Under 26s and residents of Cagnes-sur-Mer: free.
Guided tours: + €3
The detailed price list for Cagnes-sur-Mer museums can be downloaded here.
Double ticket (applicable to people wishing to visit the Renoir Museum and the Grimaldi Castle Museum on the same day): €8.
Accepted payments
Cash (euros), credit cards, bank checks (payable in France)
Accepted passes
– Pass Côte d’Azur France www.cotedazur-card.com
– French Riviera Pass www.frenchrivierapass.com
– Pass Culture pass.culture.fr
Transport and access
On foot :
From the bus station or downtown parking lots (10 min.).
From Cagnes-sur-Mer SNCF train station ( 30 mn).
By bus :
Nearest stops to the museum:
– Chemin Renoir : 42, 49
– Georges Pompidou : 09, 21, 42
– Netter : 21, 42, 49
By bike:
Parking is available in front of the museum reception area.
By car :
Freeway A8 + Exits 47/48 CAGNES-SUR-MER + Direction Centre-Ville.
Limited free parking on site.
Preparing my visit
Discover the garden, the painter’s outdoor studio, the house, and the collections it houses during a tour.
Self-guided tour
The Guidigo audioguide application (free)
Discover the museum and the Renoir garden with the free Guidigo audioguide application. The application also offers fun tours for children.
How does it work?
You can download it directly to your smartphone (Android or iOS) from home or directly at the museums using the Wi-Fi available at reception. You can also borrow tablets from our reception staff with the app already installed.
Languages available: French, English, Italian, Ukrainian, Russian
Activity book for young visitors
Suitable for ages 6 and up, these illustrated activities encourage children to imagine, dream, marvel, observe, explore, and listen to their emotions, helping them to see works of art in a new light. Available on request at reception.
Guided tour
Les visites guidées d’une heure permettent une sensibilisation au patrimoine et à la culture dans sa diversité. Le musée Renoir propose toute l’année des visites guidées.
Octobre à mars : les mercredis et dimanches, à 14h et à 15h30.
Avril à septembre : les mercredis, samedis et dimanches, à 14h et à 16h.
Des visites en anglais sont proposées le dimanche à 14h toute l’année.
Tarif :
3 € (+ 6 € pour une entrée au musée).
For further details and information: renoir@cagnes.fr / +33 (0)4 93 20 61 07
The museum store
The Renoir Museum shop is open every day during the same hours as the museum.
The Qualité Tourisme label
Since 2016, the Renoir Museum has been awarded the Qualité Tourisme label.
This label selects and brings together under a single symbol the quality initiatives undertaken to ensure customer satisfaction in hotels, tourist residences, holiday villages, campsites, restaurants, cafés and brasseries, seasonal rental agencies, tourist offices, visitor attractions, beach restaurants, and outdoor activities.
It is a sign of recognition for establishments that offer high-quality services, which customers can choose with confidence.
Our core values: quality of hospitality and services, professionalism, and promotion of local resources are among the brand’s core values.
The Qualité Tourisme label guarantees: a personalized welcome, clear and accurate information, competent and attentive staff, comfortable and impeccably clean facilities, and local tourist information tailored to your needs.
To qualify for the Qualité Tourisme label, the museum has successfully implemented a quality approach in line with the National Quality Commitments, which represent the essential requirements for visitor satisfaction.
We are known for listening to our customers, thanks to our systematic analysis of satisfaction surveys and complaints, as well as our monitoring of opinion websites.
Our services are subject to an unannounced, independent audit every three years, which allows us to renew the mark.
These values and commitments enable us to continuously improve our services to ensure the satisfaction of our visitors.
You can give your opinion by filling out the satisfaction questionnaire.
available at the entrance to the Renoir Museum or online:
Questionnaire – French version HERE.
Survey – English version HERE.
Labels
Children and family
The Renoir Museum offers artistic discovery activities for children and their families.
The adult is not simply a companion, but a participant in the activity in progress, an actor in the same way as the child. A moment specially designed to have fun together and share a creative experience.
- From 0 to 10 years old, activities take place with the whole family and at least one parent.
Opening hours
During school holidays (Zone B), Wednesdays according to schedule:
– 10 a.m. : Ages 0 to 4
– 14 p.m. : Ages 5 to 10
Booking and rates
Information and reservations required, subject to availability: ateliers.musees@cagnes.fr
Price: €5 per child
Group ( from 10 persons )
Group visits must be booked in advance:
In order to process your request as quickly as possible, please send an email to: reservations.musees@cagnes.fr
The Renoir Museum is closed on Tuesdays.
For reasons of comfort and safety, the number of people in each group is limited to 25 per hour of visit.
Self-guided tours
You can explore the Renoir Museum on your own without requesting a tour guide. You can also bring your own guide.
Group rate (for 10 or more paying visitors): €4.00 per person
Adult group-guided tour
We invite you to discover the Renoir Museum’s permanent collection, garden, and outdoor studio with a museum guide or an external lecturer, depending on availability.
Guided tour prices for groups of 10 or more:
In French:
1 hour: €80.00
Half day: €150.00
Full day (1 visit in the morning and 1 in the afternoon): €250.00
Autre langue :
Demi-journée : 200,00 €
Journée (1 matin +1 après-midi) : 300,00 €
Groups of more than 25 people must be divided into smaller groups at the entrance and inside the museum. When the number of participants exceeds the maximum capacity, it is possible to organize two staggered visits (one part of the group in the garden, another in the museum).
Free guided tours for groups:
School
Discover the Renoir Museum and its garden, and take a curious, critical, and informed look at artistic creation. Decode aesthetic, historical, and scientific issues to deepen our knowledge through various themes.
From kindergarten to high school, we invite school groups to come and discuss and discover artistic creation. Cultural venues are also places for pleasure and sharing.
Tours and workshops
Visits and workshops designed for schoolchildren enrich the discovery of the collections through a cultural and educational approach aimed at developing the creativity of young visitors and encouraging them to practice their art within the museum. The aim is to enable children to absorb the content of the visit through an activity that draws on their resources and creative qualities, rather than giving them an art lesson.
The Renoir Museum is closed on Tuesdays.
Réservation obligatoire à : ateliers.musees@cagnes.fr
Renseignements : +33 (0)4.89.22.40.74 (du lundi au vendredi de 9h à 17h30
For reasons of comfort and safety, the number of people in each group is limited to 25 per hour of visit. There must be at least one supervisor for every 15 children.
Specific projects
Pour construire des projets spécifiques (Nuit des musées, Rendez-vous aux jardins, Fête de la nature, le Festival des Arts pour les Écoles…) avec le musée Renoir. Please contact the Cultural Mediation Unit: ateliers.musees@cagnes.fr.
Rates :
Cagnois school groups: Free
School groups from outside Cagnes :
French tour: 1 hour: €50.00 / half day: €100.00 / full day: €150.00
Foreign-language tour: half day: €200.00 / full day: €300.00
Disabled public: half-day: €50.00 / full day: €100.00
