The castle of Nemours is located in the eponymous town, in Seine-et-Marne. It is more particularly located in the heart of the old medieval city. The building was erected from the middle of the 12th century by Gauthier Ier de Villebéon, grand chamberlain of kings Louis VII and Philippe Auguste. In the 15th century, when Nemours and became the seat of a duchy, the castle was owned by the Armagnac family who had the fortress restored to make it more comfortable.
In 1673, Louis XIV gave the duchy of Nemours in prerogative to his brother Philippe d'Orléans. Work is restructuring the castle, including the creation of the porch to access the first floor of the main body. After the Revolution, the castle became the property of the City. Restored at the start of the 20th century, the site was then chosen to house a museum inaugurated in 1903. The collection currently includes more than 20,000 works.
The collections were initially formed around three funds: sculptures by Justin Sanson (1833 - 1910) - winner of the Grand Prix de Rome in 1861 and main founder of the museum -, history and landscape paintings by Ernest Marché (1864 - 1932) and prints from the collection of Adolphe Ardail (1835 - 1911) and Loÿs Delteil (1869 - 1927).
The public can also observe in this choice setting sculptures by Carrier Belleuse, Carpeaux, Barrias, paintings by Boutet de Monvel, Henner, Leroy. Also of note is a remarkable collection dedicated to graphic arts, in particular prints by Goya, Corot, Delacroix, Manet, Fantin-Latour and Daumier as well as drawings (Doré, de Montholon, Nanteuil, Decamps, Saint Marcel, Robert-Fleury, Fromentin) and old photographs from France, Italy and Spain.
Popular arts and traditions, archeology and natural history are also present.
The establishment also hosts temporary exhibitions and offers workshops and activities, particularly for young audiences.
Open from Wednesday to Sunday (and Tuesday for groups only by reservation). Price: from 3 and 5 euros (supplement for guided tours). Information on +33 1 64 28 27 42.
