Created in 1911 by two Creole intellectuals, Marius and Ary Leblond, the Léon Dierx Museum is the first colonial museum. Its exceptional collection of modern works makes this museum a must-see for art lovers.
Since 1947, the Leon Dierx Museum has focused exclusively on Fine Arts, leaving the more historical collections to the Museum of Natural History.
Today, it welcomes between 20,000 and 25,000 visitors each year.
An artistic and unique place in the Indian Ocean
The Léon Dierx Museum has always been distinguished by its commitment to the most innovative aspects of 19th and early 20th century art.
In 1947, the donation of part of the collection of Ambroise Vollard, a famous art dealer of Reunionese origin, helped to reinforce this orientation towards modern art.
The collection includes prestigious references such as works by Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso and Auguste Renoir, as well as Creole painters such as Antoine Roussin and Adolphe Le Roy.
The founders of the museum, Marius and Ary Leblond, supported by the famous poet Léon Dierx, were regulars in the world of Arts and Sciences in the first half of the 20th century. Talented writers, they participated in the French colonial empire and held important positions. Marius distinguished himself at the Academy of Overseas Sciences and Ary was the curator of the Musée de la France d'Outre-Mer.
Initially a colonial museum, it gradually evolved and grew to become a French museum.
Indeed, the initial collection of the museum had two main themes: Western European art and the history of Reunion Island.
The collections were enriched gradually and sometimes even intensively.
It was in 1947, with the Vollard donation, that the museum took a decisive turn towards modern art. Ambroise Vollard, born in La Réunion in 1866, was a famous Parisian art dealer. His brother, Lucien Vollard, inherited this beautiful collection in 1939 in Versailles and decided eight years later to donate it to the Léon Dierx Museum in Saint-Denis. This donation of 157 works of art has largely contributed to making the Léon Dierx Museum an essential reference among museums evoking the history of modern Western art.
Since then, the museum has endeavoured to enrich this collection of modern art. Indeed, during the 1990s, the Léon Dierx Museum built up a collection of remarkable contemporary works of art. Pieces by artists such as Peter Knapp and Jean Le Gac are present alongside works by contemporary Réunionese artists.
The works, installations or videos of these artists, exhibited in alternation, form a collection of contemporary art that is original and very representative of the art of the late 20th century.
Practical information
Open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm. Closed on 1 May.
Reservation is required for groups.
Reduced rate of 1 € (Senior - Groups of 10 people by reservation)
Access to the museum is free on the first Sunday of each month.
Exempted from the fee:
Under 18s, school groups, students, CMU beneficiaries, the disabled, members of national or international organisations working in the field of museums (ICOM, OCIM, UNESCO), associations of people in training, holders of the PASS Loisirs, the press.
The museum can be visited freely.
The Léon-Dierx Museum's public service offers guided tours of the permanent or temporary collections to school groups, leisure centres and all types of public by appointment.
Four types of guided tours can be programmed by making an appointment with the public service:
- My first time at the museum: a discovery tour
- The hidden side of the museum: the reserves
- Portraits and landscapes in the museum collections
- Guided tour of the current temporary exhibition
For young visitors, fun educational tools are available at the museum reception desk. Children can discover the collections in a fun way:
- Games on the details of paintings
- Treasure hunts
- Fun quizzes
- Colouring in the museum