Musée Zadkine

Overview

The Musée Zadkine is a delightfully intimate, peaceful artistic oasis located just steps from the bustling Luxembourg Gardens. It is dedicated to the highly expressive, Cubist-inspired works of the Russian-born French sculptor Ossip Zadkine.

Highlights

• The Garden: The small, wild, and incredibly charming sculpture garden where abstract bronzes stand harmoniously amongst dense foliage.
• The Studios: Wonderfully sunlit wooden studios attached to the main house where Zadkine actually produced his massive wooden and stone carvings.
• The Art: The collection beautifully traces his evolution from classical, Rodin-inspired curves to radical, jagged Cubist abstraction.

History

Arriving in Paris in 1909, Zadkine became a core member of the legendary School of Paris alongside Picasso and Modigliani. He and his wife (painter Valentine Prax) moved into this modest house and studio complex in 1928, living and working there for 40 years. Prax bequeathed the property and their entire artistic estate to the city of Paris.

Visitor Tips

• Space: The museum is extraordinarily small but offers a deeply authentic, preserved look at a working artist's life in the early 20th century.
• Cost: Like many of the City of Paris municipal museums, access to the permanent collection is completely free.
• Duration: 30–45 minutes.