Musée Magnin

The Musée Magnin in Dijon is an art museum that grew out of the private collection of the siblings Maurice and Jeanne Magnin. It houses European artworks from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, as well as furniture, porcelain, and antique clocks. The museum is located in the historic Hôtel Lantin, a Baroque town palace in the old town that was built in 1663 and has been a listed monument since 1939. The wealthy collectors from Paris acquired numerous objects at auctions between 1881 and 1935, advised by the painter and restorer Jean-Gabriel Goulinat. Following the example of the Musée Jacquemart-André in Paris, they planned to bequeath their collection to the public.

To prepare the building for use as a museum, the siblings had the architect Auguste Perret remodel it in 1930 and 1931. Perret kept large parts of the historic structure intact, including the palatial staircase hall with its grand stone staircase, columns, and rich stucco work. In 1937, the building and its collections passed into the ownership of the French state as a donation. Today the museum belongs to the Réunion des musées nationaux et du Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées.

The collection offers an overview of European painting from the Renaissance to the nineteenth century. Because the collectors' financial means were limited, a few big names are missing, but they managed to assemble a well-balanced selection of different schools of painting. You experience the artworks set within a historic private residence. Along with a small gallery room, there are numerous rooms furnished with eighteenth-century furniture, including a library, a study, a bedroom, and various salons. Highlights include works by Italian, Flemish, and Dutch masters, as well as an extensive holding of French painting with a particular focus on the nineteenth century.