The École de Nancy Museum

Central panels of the vitriol “La Salle” - “Colombe et Paon”, c1904 Jacques Gruber (1870-1936)Central panels of the vitriol “La Salle” - “Colombe et Paon”, c1904
Jacques Gruber (1870-1936)

Photographic reconstruction of the verandah window at Maison de la Salle, 4 rue de Général Drouot in Nancy.

The École de Nancy was an important arm of the European art nouveau movement and the École de Nancy Museum is one of the few museums in France dedicated solely to this artistic movement. The movement was founded in 1901 by Émile Gallé, Louis Majorell, Victor Prouvé, Antonin Daum, Eugène Vallin and, later, Jacques Gruber. I visited the museum recently and can certainly recommend it. Salle à manger, 1903-1906 Eugène Vallin (1856-1922) in collaboration with Victor Prouvé (1858-1943)Salle à manger, 1903-1906
Eugène Vallin (1856-1922) in collaboration with Victor Prouvé (1858-1943)

This collection was commissioned by Charles Masson for his apartment in the rue Mazagran in Nancy. Vallin created the furniture and the ébéniserie. In 1903, Prouvé provided the moquettes du bûcheron de la ciminée and the vendengeuse du buffet, the panneaux de cuirs for the walls in 1905 and in 1906 he pained the panneaux de toile marouflée on the ceiling on there theme of the five senses. The assembly was moved to Masson’s new apartment in Paris during the first world war. It was recreated in this form in 1961 and slightly modified to fit the dimensions of the present room. The museum is housed in a property formerly owned by Jean-Baptiste Eugène Corbion, an important patron and collector of École de Nancy artwork. The garden was restored in 1998 in École de Nancy style as well as an oak door  created in 1897 by Eugène Vallin at the request of Emile Gallé for his workshop, a funerary monument, erected in 1901 at the Preville cemetery in Nancy and the work of the architect Girard and Parisian sculptor Pierre Roche and the pavilion aquarium  attributed to the architect Lucien Weissenburger and decorated with Jacques Gruber's  stained glass. PIano à la queue, 1878 Auguste Majorelle (1825-1879)PIano à la queue, 1878
Auguste Majorelle (1825-1879)

Piano made by Mangeot Frères et Cie., decorated by Majorelle. Inside the museum, furniture, objets d'art, glasswork, ceramics and fabrics show the diversity of techniques employed by the École de Nancy artists. The museum does not aim for a strict recreation of the 1900s décor, but instead tries to reproduce the atmosphere and ambiance of the period by placing the artwork in an appropriate context. The small wood inlaid furniture, acid engraved glass and ceramics demonstrate how important the thos of  'art for all' was for art nouveau artists. 

Aube et Crépuscule bed, 1904 Émile Gallé (1846-1904)Aube et Crépuscule bed, 1904
Émile Gallé (1846-1904)

Commissioned by the Parisian magistrate Henri Hirsch There is an extensive collection of glass and ceramic works by Émile Gallé in the museum including examples of Gallé's furniture designs including Les Parfums d'autrefois ("The Scents of the Past"), Le Rhin ("the Rhine") table and the Aube et Crépuscule ("Dawn and Twilight”) bed. Louis Majorell's  elegant furniture is also on display, a notable example of which is the grand piano decorated with pinecone motifs and Victor Prouvé's  marquetry design. Prouvé contributed to the production and realization of the extraordinary Masson dining room. Carried out in 1904 by Charles Masson, brother-in-law of Eugène Corbin, the dining room affirms Vallin’s virtuosity and demonstrates École de Nancy’s originality in its search for the unity of art. Library Banquette, 1902 Eugène Vallin (1856-1922)Library Banquette, 1902
Eugène Vallin (1856-1922)

Commissioned in 1902 by the coal merchant Jules Kronberg for his house in the Blvd. Lobau in Nancy. The glasswork is attributed to Jacques Gruber, drapery to Charles Fridrich

Musée de l’École de Nancy
36 - 38 rue du Sergent Blandan
54000 Nancy
Email : [email protected]

Wednesday to Sunday, from 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m