Upon request of the Mayor of the period, Francis Palmero, he first painted the Salle des Mariages (wedding room), inaugurated on 22 March 1958. He also decorated the Mayor’s office with a wall painting representing Orpheus in front of the Old City of Menton.
Bastion Museum
In one of his walks through the city, the poet discovered a 17th century fort called the Bastion. There, he created a small museum in order to convert it into an exhibition place for his works: drawings, tapestries, watercolours, pastels, ceramics, faiences. It was inaugurated in April 1966, three years after his death.
This site bears the signature of the artist who designed the restoration of the building, the decoration of its façade and floor (pebble mosaic) as well as the layout of his “Innamorati” and several other works.
Open all year round from 10.00 am to 12.00 pm and from 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm.
Closed on Tuesday and holidays.
Musée du Bastion
Vieux Port - Tel: +33 (0)4 93 57 72 30
Mariage Hall
The Mariage Hall was designed and decorated by Jean Cocteau in 1957 and 1958. Everything you find in this room was designed by the artist: the lamps, the chairs, the panther-skin rugs, the doors, the curtains...
On the wall behind the table one can see two young people facing one another - this depicts the engagement. The couple is trying to read the future in each other’s eyes. Many symbols of Menton are evident in this painting. The girl is wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat called a "Capeline". This was the head-gear formerly worn by the women of this region. Above her head is the sun, symbol of the town, coloured yellow and orange to represent the citrus fruits for which Menton is famous.
In the background, the sea is shown as a labyrinthe of pale blue and white lines. The young man is a fisherman with his typical Mediterranean bonnet, and his eye is drawn in the form of a fish.
On the right wall we can see an Oriental wedding. Oriental, perhaps, because the first comers to these shores were Saracens. Behind the horse stand three people bearing wedding gifts of flowers and fruit; this may be an allusion of the three wise men of the East.
On the left wall Eurydice is dying and is led back to Hades by the women in blue. Orpheus, his eyes closed, lets his lyre drop and the men around him are suddenly turned into centaurs fighting and killing innocent animals a pink flamingo, a flying eagle...
Mairie de Menton (Townhall)- Place Ardoïno
Tél. (+33) 0 4 92 10 50 00
Prices : 2 € ; ½ price : 1 € [students, teachers, over 65s, numerous families) ; free (under 18, school groups, unemployed, handicapped, journalists, artists).
Jean Cocteau Museum Collection Séverin Wunderman
Rudy Ricciotti, who was awarded the Grand Prix National d’Architecture in 2006, was selected in 2008 for the new Museum dedicated to Jean Cocteau, after a European competition launched by the City of Menton.
Located at the foot of the old town of Menton, across from the covered market and by the sea, Musée Jean Cocteau Collection Séverin Wunderman opened in November 2011.
Séverin Wunderman, an American collector born in 1938, fascinated by Jean Cocteau’s work, gathered throughout his life an extraordinary collection of the poet’s works. His legacy includes 1,800 works, including 990 by Jean Cocteau, 450 by artists close to the poet, like Picasso, Modigliani and Christian Bérard, as well as a group of 360 works linked to Sarah Bernhardt, the poet’s first "monstre sacré" (great star of the theatre). Together with Musée du Bastion’s historic collection, Musée Jean Cocteau Collection Séverin Wunderman is the world’s largest public institution dedicated to the poet’s work.
It displays the work of the poet on 2,700 sm and offers visitors two levels of exhibition space for the collections, an area for temporary exhibitions, an educational workshop, a cabinet of graphic art, an area for documentary resources, a café, a boutique and a bookshop.
Practical informations
Opening hours
Open every day from 10am to 6pm, except Tuesday and 01/01, 01/05, 01/11, 25/12.
Informations / Contact
Musée Jean Cocteau Collection Séverin Wunderman
2, quai de Monléon
06500 MENTON
Tel.: +33 (0)4 89 81 52 50
www.museecocteaumenton.fr
Reservations
Mail: pascal.brun@ville-menton.fr
Tel.: +33 (0)4 92 10 51 39
Educational activities
Mail: romy.tirel@ville-menton.fr
Tel.: +33 (0)4 89 81 52 56
Prices
full-price Musée Jean Cocteau Collection Séverin Wunderman + Musée du Bastion
+ Temporary exhibitions: €8
Musée Jean Cocteau Collection Séverin Wunderman + Musée du Bastion: €6
Temporary exhibitions: €5
half-price Teachers, over 65s, large family groups (10 people or more)
free under 18s, jobseekers, disabled persons, and for everyone on the 1st Sunday of each month.
Tours
Guided tours for individuals: €6 (free for children under 14s)
Group tours: €78 for 1-20 persons, €104 for 21-30; €156 for 31-55.
Judit Neuberger
International editions: