Musée des Arts Décoratifs

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs, de la Faïence et de la Mode of Marseille is housed in the Château Borély, an eighteenth-century country house on the south side of the city, in the eighth arrondissement, at the end of the Avenue Clot-Bey. It is a long way from the old port, in a green district near the beaches of the Prado and the Parc Borély, and it gives visitors a quiet cultural outing in a different part of Marseille. The château was built in the late eighteenth century for Louis Borély, a rich merchant of the city, in the style of a country palace, or bastide, with a long classical facade, an entrance with columns and a park behind. It was designed as a place of leisure and entertainment, and it shows the prosperity of the traders of Marseille at that time.

The house passed through the hands of later owners, among them the Panisse-Passis family, and was bought by the city in the early twentieth century. It became a museum, and after a major renovation the museum reopened in 2013, the year when Marseille was European Capital of Culture. The renovation gave the interiors back their original look and set up the museum as a place for decorative arts and fashion.

The visit is organised around period rooms that show how a wealthy household lived in the eighteenth century. The rooms retain their painted decoration, including work by the Marseille painter Louis Chaix, as well as panelling, a library and a golden sofa, and they are furnished with period pieces, so you see the setting along with the objects. The permanent collection comprises about 2,500 works from the eighteenth century to the present, with ceramics, in particular the faïence of Marseille, which was famous in the eighteenth century for its delicate painted flowers and fish, glass, furniture and objects from distant lands. A further section is dedicated to fashion, with thousands of items of clothing and accessories from the eighteenth century to modern times, which are rotated several times a year in a study gallery, so each visit may show something different. Contemporary pieces, such as a large chandelier by the designer Mathieu Lehanneur, are placed in dialogue with the historic setting.

The museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday, and closed on Mondays, and is accessible for visitors with disabilities. Allow one to two hours. The park, with its garden and avenues, is a pleasant place for a walk, and the beaches of the Prado are close.

The museum suits lovers of decorative arts, fashion and interior design.