Henri Chapu Museum

Dedicated to the great 19th-century sculptor Henri Chapu (1833-1891), this museum was created in 1887, several years before his passing. It is home to the pieces Chapu donated to his hometown, Le Mée-sur-Seine – near Melun in the southwest of Paris – during his life.

It was his Joan of Arc at Domrémy sculpture, now housed at the Musée d’Orsay, that gave Chapu his reputation. This piece demonstrates his talent for creating the perfect package of subtle yet apt expressions and emotions. Presented at the last Salon under the Second Empire in 1870, the plaster cast was made into a marble statue in 1872, and met with considerable success.

Riding high on his new-found reputation, Chapu subsequently played a part in decorating various monuments, including the Paris Opera and the grounds of the Château de Chantilly in northern Paris. We also have him to thank for the funerary monuments that can still be seen today in the veritable open-air museum that is Paris’ Père Lachaise Cemetery.

More museums in Paris Region.