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IN BRIEF
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Fans of sinuous aesthetics and floral ironwork, rejoice: Paris is about to inaugurate in January 2028 a place entirely dedicated to Hector Guimard and Art Nouveau. Nestled in the iconic Mezzara hotel, at 60 rue de la Fontaine in the 16th arrondissement, this museum will celebrate the entrances of the Paris metro in the style of dragonflies, the arabesques, and naturalistic elegance, echoing the spirit of the École de Nancy. An address to note for enthusiasts.
Good news for lovers of curves and arabesques: Paris is preparing to open a brand new museum dedicated to Hector Guimard and Art Nouveau. Located in the magnificent Mezzara Hotel, a residence designed by Guimard himself, this place promises to be the ideal showcase for rediscovering this major movement, its lines inspired by nature and its emblematic figures. Opening scheduled for early 2028, in the 16th arrondissement, with the ambition of enriching the cultural cartography of a capital that never ceases to surprise.
It was thought that Paris, with its more than 130 museums within the city, had shown everything. And yet, there remained a beautiful piece of the puzzle: a space entirely dedicated to the most famous French creator of Art Nouveau, Hector Guimard. The announcement is cause for joy for those who look up at the entrances of the Paris metro in the style of “dragonflies” and for total design enthusiasts, where architecture, furniture, and objects communicate in a single harmony.
This new museum will not be just a simple exhibition space, but a journey into an aesthetic where curves, arabesques, and patterns of trees, flowers, and animals intertwine. It will conveniently complement the memory work already carried out elsewhere in France, notably at the École de Nancy museum, a key site of the 1900 movement.
A showcase by Hector Guimard
What better than a work by Guimard to host a museum dedicated to him? The choice fell on the Mezzara Hotel, at 60 rue de la Fontaine in the 16th arrondissement. This address is not just a marker on a map: it is a manifesto. Here, we find the thoughts of the master builder who advocated for total harmony between the outside and the inside, between architecture and the art of living. Expect a scenography that will let the light breathe, embrace the volumes, and highlight the materials, in the spirit of “everything is connected” that characterizes the era.
Visitors will be able to measure how much the author of the famous accesses to the metro – these nervous and graceful porticoes called “dragonflies” – has influenced our imaginations. Here, forms soar, wood and glass converse, and lines become poetry. And one quickly understands why Guimard remains the most emblematic figure of Art Nouveau in France.
Opening early 2028: mark your calendars
Mark your calendars: starting in January 2028, the capital will have a new must-see appointment for aesthetes. This opening will participate in the cultural effervescence of a Paris that is always renewing itself, where one can move from a contemporary gallery to a private mansion from 1900 in just a few stations. The museum will focus on a sensitive as well as informative experience, to touch both curious visitors and specialists of the movement.
This inauguration is part of an international dynamic of expansion of cultural institutions. Elsewhere in Europe, captivating projects are blossoming, such as a new museum dedicated to underwater archaeology in Piraeus, while iconic establishments reinforce their aura, such as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao which continues to attract a record public.
Art Nouveau in a nutshell
Born at the very end of the 19th century, Art Nouveau rejects classical rigidities in favor of an aesthetic inspired by the living. It celebrates the curve, the color, the museum-like and mythical woman, and ornamentation drawn from the veins of leaves, insect wings, and blooming corollas. There is nothing anecdotal here: this grammar of the movement has crossed architecture, furniture, decorative arts, illustration, and even advertising graphics.
The movement is carried by major creators: the Catalan Antoni Gaudí, the Belgian architect Victor Horta, the Nancy-based cabinetmaker-decorator Louis Majorelle, the Austrian painter Gustav Klimt, the American Tiffany and his sublime stained glasses, the Czech Alfons Mucha and his iconic posters… and of course Hector Guimard, an unwavering ambassador of this organic modernity in France.
After the First World War, the tide turned: other styles settled in, notably Art Deco, more geometric, more industrial. But Art Nouveau keeps coming back to the center stage, celebrated for its freedom and sense of detail.
A dialogue with Nancy… and beyond
This future Parisian museum will mirror the essential École de Nancy museum, a national reference for anyone wishing to admire a complete 1900 lifestyle, from vases to stained glass to woodwork. Together, they weave a subtle map of French creation from the Belle Époque.
This conversation transcends borders: those seeking other original museum experiences can explore the network of French museums, such as the museums of Strasbourg and their rich collections, or venture toward more unexpected places, such as an institution that offers to meet the “most haunted doll in the world” in Florida. And to measure the extent of cultural diversity, one can be surprised by projects that are thematically at opposite ends, like the largest video game museum, which shows how the museum world is constantly reinventing itself.
Why this matters for Paris today
Opening a museum dedicated to Guimard in one of his own creations offers the public an almost cinematic experience: the decor is of the time, the storyline is historical, and yet everything remains resolutely contemporary. For Art Nouveau, by exalting the artisan’s work, the recycling of natural forms, and the idea of holistic design, resonates strongly with our contemporary concerns (sustainable materials, craftsmanship, functional beauty).
Thus, Paris consolidates its place as a major cultural scene, capable of honoring its heritage while attracting new audiences. The “magic of the museum” is not limited to showcases: it is an ecosystem of neighborhoods, cafés, workshops, and strolls. In the distinguished calm of the 16th arrondissement, the future museum promises a poetic counterpoint to the grand tourist circuits, a pause where one slows down to look more closely.
At the heart of the Guimard style
Guimard embodies the desire to design everything, from the porch to the door handle, from the facade to the chair. In his projects, the line is never gratuitous: it guides the gaze, embraces the hand, accompanies the gesture. We speak of a total art, a symphony where every detail, from furniture to utilitarian objects, contributes to the harmony. In this spirit, one can expect a museography attentive to materials – wood, glass, metal –, to the play of shadows and lights, to patterns drawn from life.
This approach explains the longevity of his aura: even after the rise of Art Deco, Guimard’s forms remain incredibly modern, because they speak to our senses as much as to our minds.
Prepare your visit
The site at 60 rue de la Fontaine, easily accessible by the dense network of the Paris metro and bordered by elegant streets, will provide an ideal setting for a day dedicated to Art Nouveau. A friendly tip: combine the museum visit with an architectural stroll in the neighborhood to spot, along the facades, the legacy of a major turning point in modernity.
Inveterate curious, think of enriching your itinerary with cross-references: from Bilbao to Strasbourg, from the promises of Piraeus to the curiosities of a very unique collection in Florida, to the playful boldness of the video game museum, the museum world forms a constellation. This places, now more than ever, Paris and Art Nouveau at the center of the map.
