The only French museum to be nominated for the 2013 European museum of the year award and having shared the prestigious Ken d'Or 2012 award for best museum with the renowned Louvre in Paris, this museum has certainly put the small and pretty village of Mougins on the map!
The Museum of Classical Art or 'Musée d'Art Classique de Mougins' is not only a fairly recent addition to the South of France, having opened in 2011, but it also has an intriguing history with museum owner, 44 year old British-born Mr Levett. His passion for collecting antiquities and art started in 2003 after he started subscribing to the catalogues of renowned auction houses, Sotheby's, Christie's and Bonhams...having at this point become a hedge fund multimillionaire, he invested in the art market and put together one of the world's largest private collections of ancient arms and armour. "I just couldn't believe that I could buy an ancient helmet, or an eight-foot-high statue or a 2000 year old sarcophagus" says Mr Levett.
The choice to house the collection in a museum came after he showed an informal catalogue of the collection to the editor in chief of the antiquities magazine, Minvera, Mark Merrony, who was subsequently hired to curate and help build the museum. Levett considered opening the museum in London, but he worried about the consequences of this, and media reactions; "I thought that the media might think: rich hedge fund manager, trader guy, builds collection, puts it on display, opens a museum. He is a bit of a tosser so he stuck it in London to make himself look cool."
Instead he choose the beautiful and historical village of Mougins, where he already had connections through purchasing real estate and having spent many summers there himself. To enhance the core antiquities works and connect them to the pieces they have inspired over the centuries, Mr. Levett also acquired works by Rubens, Matisse, Chagall, Picasso and others that were classically inspired. His hope is that now he has brought them to the public, they will enjoy these fantastic pieces as much as he does himself.
If you are in the South of France this museum is a must see; not only to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Mougins but to experience the extensive and impressive collection housed in the elegantly modernised interiors of medieval buildings.
To visit the museum or to find out more then visit the website or 'make an enquiry'.
