The Museum and the collections
The Museum owns the most important collection of works by Jean-Jacques Henner. It presents a selection of the different phases in the artist’s life, from his youth in Alsace to his last years, including his stay at the Villa Medici. It shows historical, religious and mythological paintings, as well as landscapes of Alsace and Italy, portraits, genre scenes and still lifes. Not only will visitors follow the artist’s development but they will also understand his technique, thanks to numerous preparatory works (sketches, drawings, tracings for transfer, etc) and replicas from his studio collection.
In addition to the founding donation of 1923, the collection has been expanded by a large number of gifts, donations and bequests. The Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay agreed to several important deposits, including Saint Sebastian and Solitude. The first purchase was the Portrait of Comtesse de Callac in 1998.
Several paintings, sculptures and drawings by other artists (Paul Dubois, Adolphe Monticelli, Félix Trutat, Antoine Vollon, François Joseph Heim, Jean and Many Benner, and others) come from Henner’s personal collection. The Museum also displays pieces of furniture and objects that belonged to the painter, including his painting material, his Academician’s costume, and many letters, photographs and documents, which can be consulted by researchers on request.