Museums · Saint-Denis
Musée Léon Dierx
The Musée Léon Dierx is the oldest art museum in the Indian Ocean. Housed in a former bishop's palace in Saint-Denis, it holds a collection of paintings, sculptures and ceramics linked to Réunion and its artists, including works by Paul Gauguin, Auguste Rodin and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
Why it matters
The first art museum founded in the Indian Ocean, the Musée Léon Dierx holds an exceptional collection combining Réunionese art and works by European masters. Its setting, a colonial palace in the heart of Saint-Denis, makes it one of the island's most distinctive cultural venues.
History
Founded in 1911 by the City of Saint-Denis, the museum is housed in the former bishop's palace, built in the 18th century and extended in the 19th. It is named after the Réunionese Parnassian poet Léon Dierx (1838–1912), born in Saint-Denis, whose poetry placed him at the summit of the French literature of his day, to the point that he was crowned “Prince of Poets” in 1898. The museum's original collection was built up through donations from the Réunionese art dealer Ambroise Vollard, who brought works by his Parisian artists to Réunion. Paul Gauguin stopped over in Saint-Denis in 1891 on his voyage to Polynesia; several of his works later entered the museum's collections.
Architecture
A 19th-century colonial neoclassical building. The main building, the former residence of the Bishop of Saint-Denis, is arranged around an inner courtyard. It has been restored and adapted for use as a museum while keeping its period architectural features.
Photo: Thierry Caro · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Sources (3)
- Ville de Saint-Denis — musee.reunion.fr
- Service du patrimoine de Saint-Denis — notice historique du palais épiscopal
- Fonds Ambroise Vollard — Archives nationales d'outre-mer (ANOM)
