Bibliothèque et Villa Marmottan

The Bibliothèque et Villa Marmottan in Boulogne-Billancourt is a rare example of a library where books and decor are inseparable and respond harmoniously to each other. The first-floor study, with its contrasting yellow columns, green walls and mahogany furniture, is a precious and evocative model of a cabinet d’amateur, where everything has been designed to inspire and instruct.

Paul Marmottan (1856-1932), heir to the director of the Compagnie houillère de Bruay (Bruay Coal Mining Company), was destined for a career in industry, administration or politics. However, he soon interrupted its career to devote his fortune to his passion for the history and art of the First Empire. Travelling throughout Europe and visiting booksellers and dealers, he built up an unrivalled library on the Napoleonic period, collecting thousands of works and precious documents. He also collected First Empire paintings, engravings and furniture to decorate the hotel he built in Boulogne between 1890 and 1920. Inspired by architectural books and freely incorporating motifs close to his heart, Paul Marmottan created a setting that was less pastiche than an original and personal creation. On his death, he bequeathed his house in Boulogne-Billancourt and his house in Paris (now the Musée Marmottan-Monet) to the Académie des beaux-arts.

The Bibliothèque et Villa Marmottan has become a cultural center for art and research. Each year, three artists and two researchers are invited to continue their research work and to create, thanks to the residencies offered by the Académie des beaux-arts.

(© H&K / Victor Point)