THE GUIDE MUSEUMS 2024


Musée de la Bière Stenay, Meuse


Have fun with fungi at the Musée du Champignon


dedicated to the art and literature of comic books, especially the famous Franco-Belgian school. There’s even an area for younger visitors to immerse themselves in books, play games and dress up as comic book characters. And why Angoulême? Well, this is the city that, every year, hosts one of the world’s most important comic book festivals, the Festival international de la bande dessinée d’Angoulême. www.citebd.org


Musée des Nourrices Alligny-en-Morvan, Nièvre Had you been a well-heeled Parisian lady in the 18th or 19th century, the last thing you would have needed to spoil the pleasures of your wealthy bourgeois life was a baby to carry about. That’s where Morvan’s wet nurses (nourrices) came in. So keen to escape poverty they often abandoned their own infants, these young women sought a better life in the capital and were rewarded handsomely for their services. Well worth a visit, the laboriously titled Musée des Nourrices et des Enfants de l’Assistance Publique brings this amazing story to life with a collection of moving memorabilia. Open from late March until mid- November, but not every day. www.museedesnourrices.fr


128 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Aug/Sep 2024


Musée du Champignon Saumur, Maine-et-Loire Don’t miss this subterranean museum in troglodyte caves carved out of tufa limestone. Down here is a treasure trove of 250 species of fungi, educational titbits and even fresh batches for sale, plus mushroom-based soups, beverages and more. There’s nothing quite like wandering through a chilly underground lair and getting up close and personal with living, breathing walls of shiitake or pied bleu. www.musee-du-champignon. com


Maison Gainsbourg Paris, Île-de-France


Legendary singer Serge Gainsbourg’s former residence at 5 bis Rue de Verneuil, in Paris’s 7th arrondissement, has been turned into a museum and shrine by his daughter, Charlotte. Here you’ll see his two-storey house just as it was when he died, with artworks, photos, musical instruments, clothing and, of course, the overflowing ashtrays. There are 25,000 items in all “kept intact” by his daughter since the singer’s death. Across the road, at no. 14 – part of the same venue – is a museum, gift shop and a café-cum-piano bar called Le Gainsbarre, the name the singer himself gave to his alcoholic alter-ego. www.maisongainsbourg.fr


Bored of dusty old museums? Here’s the perfect antidote: a visitor attraction dedicated to all things beer. Earn your tasting rights (in the museum tavern) by first learning about the history, sociology, science, agriculture and marketing of beer. Since its inception in 1986, the museum has grown in popularity so that over 20,000 beer-lovers now visit every year. Open from March 1 to December 1. musees-meuse.fr/musees/ musee-de-la-biere-stenay


Maison des Canuts Lyon, Rhône


The Canuts were Lyon’s silk workers, who plied their trade in the Croix-Rousse district of the city, most famously during the 19th century. This museum celebrates their noble trade, the materials they worked with and the Canut Revolts that took place in the mid-1800s – all of which helped shape the modern-day city one finds today. In the museum shop you’ll find a great selection of genuine Lyon-made silk textiles and neckwear. Nearby, you can discover Lyon’s famous traboules, the covered passages silk-workers once used to transport their wares around the city. maisondescanuts.fr


Musée Louis de Funès Saint-Raphaël, Var


Louis de Funès was one of France’s best-loved comic actors, with a CV that included more than 150 film roles and 100 stage plays, from the 1940s to the 1980s. He was famous for his high-energy performances and arsenal of facial expressions, lending him the nickname “the man with 40 faces per minute”. This museum, in Saint-Raphaël, is dedicated to his life and work and features hundreds of film clips, voice recordings, photos, artworks and letters. Opening hours vary throughout the year. https://bit.ly/3L7OcbX


AND SOMETHING CLOSER TO HOME The Clark Williamstown, Massachusetts, USA Last but not least we have something especially for US readers of France Today. This art gallery in


Massachusetts was set up by renowned art collectors Sterling and Francine Clark in 1955. It features European and American paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, photographs and decorative arts from the Renaissance to the early 20th century. The collection is especially rich in French Impressionist and academic paintings. www.clarkart.edu FT


Learn all about Lyon’s silkworkers at the Maison des Canuts


IMAGES © MUSÉE DU CHAMPIGNON, MAISON DES CANUTS


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