Fernand Léger National Museum

Fernand Léger National Museum

Musée national Fernand Léger
Established	1960
Location	Biot, Alpes-Maritimes, France
Coordinates	43.6222°N 7.1129°E / 43.6222; 7.1129
Type	art museum
Collection size	paintings, designs, ceramics, bronzes and tapestries of Fernand Léger.
Website	en.musees-nationaux-alpesmaritimes.fr/fleger

Sculpture in the gardens of the museum

The Fernand Léger National Museum (French: Musée national Fernand Léger) is a museum in Biot, Alpes-Maritimes, in south-eastern France, dedicated to the work of the twentieth-century artist Fernand Léger. Although originally privately owned, it is now a state museum entitled to style itself Musée de France.

History

In 1955, Fernand Léger bought a villa in Biot, called Mas Saint-André, with the intention of installing polychrome ceramic sculptures in his garden, but died soon afterwards. The museum was built on the property after the death of the artist in 1955 by Nadia Léger and Georges Bauquier, to designs by the architect Andreï Svetchine; an earlier design by Paul Nelson had been rejected. Construction began in 1957, and the museum opened in 1960. The gardens were designed by Henri Fish and contain sculptures based on Léger's work.