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This small museum is located on the sea front, near the harbour, and contains works from Jean Cocteau, which are largely based on his film 'The Beauty and the Beast'. They are not particularly to our taste, but are good.
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Date of experience: October 2019
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This small stone building on the harbour wall at Menton was constructed as a small fort in the first half of the 17th century. Subsequently it was used as a warehouse, a lighthouse and even a gaol. In the 1950's it was decided to turn it into a museum to showcase Jean Cocteau's work. Cocteau (1889-1063) was a French playwright, novelist, visual artist and filmmaker amongst other things. Cocteau even became involved in the restoration and redecoration of the Bastion particularly through the creation of mosaics made from pebbles. The museum opened in 1966 a few year's after the artist's death. Entry was EUR 3-00 per person. There was a small gift shop on the ground floor as well as some drawings hanging from the walls and an interesting floor mosaic made from pebbles. There were a number of steps up to the main room on the first floor from which there were another two smaller rooms radiating off it. In one of these rooms they were showing Cocteau's film "Beauty and the Beast". There were a number of what you would probably call "erotic" drawings, plus others, around the walls of the main and two smaller rooms as well as some posters and a bust of the head of the "Beast". I thought that on the whole it was a fairly ordinary display. I wouldn't go out of my way to see this unless you are a real Jean Cocteau fan.…
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Date of experience: June 2019
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This is all you have now as the new museum nearby was badly hit by a storm and remains closed at least till 2021. The old 17th century fort was carefully restored according to Cocteau's own plans to house his ceramics and paintings opening in 1966 three years after his death. The main exhibition is themed on his most famous film The Beauty and the Beast based on a tale written already in 1757. Four artists present their vision in drawings and installations.…
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Date of experience: August 2019
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So, we continued our trip tracing the steps of Jean Cocteau. We had already done Hotel Welcome, the Chapelle St. PIerre, WUnderman Collection in Menton, and now this little Museum across the street from Wunderman. The good news is that there are some lovely pieces on the wall outside and anothe lizard mosaic inside, but aside from that not much noteworthy I'm afraid. The real good news is that the admission price is free (included in the Wunderman entry fee). This was the original Cocteau museum in Menton and while it does have some nice ceramics ( as well as some on sale!) the coloured drawings from the 1960's are bland and uninteresting.…
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Date of experience: August 2017
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This unpretentious place is a nice collection of Cocteau works. Note especially the lizard mosaic on the floor of entrance hall.
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Date of experience: August 2017
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