The Borély museum is located at Marseille, in the Bouches-du-Rhône. Located south-west of the city center, near the beaches, in the park and near the Borély racecourse, it is housed in a castle built in 1770 by the Borély family who had made a fortune in trading and maritime trade..
In neo-classical style, the building was intended to be a summer residence in a green environment.
The estate was acquired by the municipality in 1856 then the castle became an archeology museum before being transformed into a Museum of Decorative Arts, Earthenware and Fashion in 2013. In the meantime, the building has been listed in the inventory. The visit to the museum can punctuate or precede a pleasant walk in the park.
In the very elegant setting of the castle, the establishment presents a permanent exhibition of 2,500 pieces: furniture, ceramics, glass, tapestries, art objects, exotic objects, design pieces and fashion collections, as many works dating from the 18th century to the present day.
The route is dotted with thematic rooms or "periods room", that is to say spaces dedicated to a given period where a panorama of works dating from that period is presented. The rare earthenware collections from the 18th century (from the factories of Marseille and Moustiers, among others) and the 19th century (ceramics by Théodore Deck), large decorative ensembles by the painter Louis Chaix, leather hangings, panoramic wallpaper made by the Zuber factory, or painted canvases by Philippe Rey.
As far as fashion is concerned, creations by Pierre Balmain, Christian Dior, Yves Saint-Laurent, Elisabeth de Senneville are presented. In addition, works by current designers, specially created for the museum, are showcased, such as the chandelier in the grand vestibule by Mathieu Lehanneur, the mirrors by Hubert Legall or the tapestries by Laurence Aëgerter.
Temporary exhibitions are also presented.
Open Tuesday to Sunday. Closed Mondays (except Easter and Pentecost), 1 January, 1 May, 1 and 11 November and 25 December. Free entry for the permanent exhibitions. Information on +33 4 91 55 33 60.
