MUSEUMS 2020/21 THE GUIDE


Musée du Compagnonnage Tours, Indre-et-Loire


In a region so famed for its châteaux and gardens, it would be all too easy to pass over a Loire Valley museum dedicated to the humble trade guilds – but that’s not a mistake we’re going to make here. The display of 19th-century artisanal masterpieces at the Musée du Compagnonnage should be on the itinerary of any visit to Tours. Come and enjoy a glimpse into the worlds of woodworking, metalworking, shoemaking, stonemasonry and confectionery via an extraordinary set of exhibits and sculptures. www.museecompagnonnage.fr


CRAZY


Some museums are so quirky, so unique, that they defy categorisation. That’s certainly the case here. We have a five-storey building packed with 100 miniature film sets. And then there’s the exhibit populated by a menagerie of mechanical dolls and clowns. We have a museum dedicated to sewers, which is (literally) not to be sniffed at. And we even have a vampire fanatic’s home that has been transformed into an appointment-only shrine to blood-suckers. The French really know no bounds when it comes to the weird and wonderful, so brace yourself and read on. Your adventure through weird and wonderful France starts here.


Musée de l’Automate de Souillac Souillac, Lot


A troupe of mermaids with fish and seashells for instruments strike up a tune for nobody in particular. A portly businessman clad in tweed clutches his belly and cackles so hard that his head jiggles. A sinister-looking Pierrot pours himself a tipple and scans the room, whilst a little girl, whose face is far from fine, hops over a skipping rope – except her feet never touch the ground. Welcome to the Musée de l’Automate (the Museum of Automata) which boasts a


Artist Dan Ohlmann at the small but brilliant Musée Miniature et Cinéma


fascinating collection of 300 mechanical toys from the 19th and 20th centuries. As compelling as it is disquieting, this window into the past is exciting for imaginative children and adults alike. www.musee-automate.fr


Musée de la Magie 4th arrondissement, Paris For a dose of whimsy and wonder, duck into the underground Museum of Magic in Paris’s 4th arrondissement. Inside, exposed stone and red carpet – not unlike the lining of a magician’s cape – dominate a small and mysterious space. (Claustrophobia sufferers may want to sit this one out). Families will love the live magic tricks and assortment of props, gizmos and posters, not to mention the neighbouring Musée des Automates in the same cellar. (It’s possible to buy a combined ticket for both museums). But what’s more creepy than anything is the fact that the infamous Marquis de Sade used to reside in the building above. www.museedelamagie.com


Musée des Égouts de Paris 7th arrondissement, Paris France’s capital city is more than


just the City of Light, more than just the heart of this great nation. It is also, in its Haussmannian splendour, a shining example of forward- thinking city planning in the engineering of waste disposal. To find out just how forward- thinking, why not take a rather odorous trip into the Musée des Égouts de Paris (Paris’s sewer museum), near Pont de l’Alma, in the 7th arrondissement? Don’t forget to bring a clothes peg for your nose. The museum has recently been renovated and was due to reopen in October 2020. www.parisinfo.com


Musée des Mille et Une Racines Cornimont, Vosges


If you still believe there are fairies at the bottom of the garden, then you’ll be right at home in Normandy’s quirky 1001 Tree Roots Museum. Late local artist Michel Maurice (1937- 2014) spent much of his life wandering the forests of the Vosges, unearthing loose roots and transforming them into little wooden tokens of flora and fauna, while preserving their original, natural beauty. This permanent exhibition is a touching tribute to his work. www.1001racines.fr


Musée des Vampires Les Lilas, Île-de-France You don’t need to be a bloodsucker to adore this small cabinet of curiosities, tucked away in Paris’s eastern suburbs. Privately run out of the curator’s own home, this macabre museum invites guests (by appointment only) to marvel at Jacques Sirgent’s collection of vampiric paraphernalia, from antique literature and movie posters to a mummified cat and vampire protection kit from the 1800s. Bolstered by Sirgent’s seemingly inexhaustible knowledge of the shadowy netherworld, a short spell here is truly unforgettable – and not for the faint of heart. artclips.free.fr/musee_des_ vampires/MuseeVampires1


Musée Miniature et Cinéma Lyon, Rhône


Proof that good things come in small packages, this bizarre museum features shrunken- down scenes that could have been plucked from real life – from classrooms to kitchens, libraries to barbershops. This fantastical miniature world is the brainchild of miniaturist artist Dan Ohlmann and features the work of several of his contemporaries, with all items lovingly created in minute detail. Also here are various props from the world of modern cinema, such as the Queen from the Alien movies and that creepy killer doll Chucky from the Child’s Play franchise. museeminiatureetcinema.fr


Naïa Museum Rochefort-en-Terre, Morbihan They describe it as a “museum of the make-believe arts”. Here you’ll find all sorts of art forms, ranging from sculptures, paintings and drawings, to video, digital works, photography and comic books, covering styles from fantasy to surrealism and symbolism to cyber-punk. The museum shop is impressive, as is the escape game that visitors can play for an extra fee. www.naiamuseum.com FT


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IMAGE © MUSÉE MINIATURE ET CINÉMA


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