The Art Nouveau glass roof of the Hôtel Mezzara's grand hall and its chandelier

2026–2029 Support Campaign

Celebrating Art Nouveau in Paris

Hector Guimard is not only the creator of the famous Paris Métro entrances; he was also the architect and principal decorator of the Hôtel Mezzara, the future home of the Musée Guimard.

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Musée Guimard — Hôtel Mezzara, 60 rue Jean de La Fontaine, 75016 Paris

A Little-Known “Divine Beauty”

Today, little is known about Hector Guimard. In Paris, half of the buildings designed by this artist — despite his deep presence in Parisians' daily lives — have been destroyed.

He is of course recognized for his famous Métro entrances, elevated to the rank of sculpture when displayed in museums, and described as a “divine beauty” by Salvador Dalí. But Hector Guimard is far more than that.

A visionary architect, Guimard conceived architecture as a coherent whole, in which every element had its place. From the building itself to its interior décor, from furniture to everyday objects, he developed a singular language, down to the smallest details.

An Injustice to Correct

Today, Art Nouveau is enjoying a marked resurgence of interest, both in Europe and the United States. Yet even though Guimard's work is recognized worldwide, Paris still has no museum dedicated to him.

For more than twenty years, the Cercle Guimard has worked to promote, preserve, and pass on the work of Hector Guimard. Its ambition: to open the doors of a building designed by Guimard and turn it into a living museum, revealing the fundamental principles of the “Guimard Style”: logic, harmony, feeling.

Turning the Hôtel Mezzara into a museum devoted to Parisian Art Nouveau became an obvious choice. A collective momentum has now been launched: together, we will fill a glaring gap in the international cultural landscape.

€5M
2026–2029 campaign target
2028
Museum opening to the public
50 years
Long-term lease signed with the French State

The Hôtel Mezzara

A natural and unique setting for the museum

A true heritage treasure, the Hôtel Mezzara has been a listed historic monument since 2016. It was built in 1910, in the heart of Paris on rue Jean de la Fontaine in the 16th arrondissement, to house the workshop and family life of Paul Mezzara, a textile industrialist and lace maker.

Here, Hector Guimard's art reaches its point of balance. Though he tempered his style, he gained in maturity and mastery: he still plays with volumes, never compromises on elegance, and defends more than ever his vision of a “total” art of living in which the building, furniture, and indoor and outdoor spaces form a single whole.

After years of perseverance, the project's backers succeeded in signing a 50-year long-term lease with the French State, owner of the building. Restoration work has been entrusted to Antoine Chapuis, chief architect of historic monuments.

The façade of the Hôtel Mezzara, rue Jean de la Fontaine, Paris
The Hôtel Mezzara is a milestone in Hector Guimard's work, evidence of the maturity the architect achieved in the early twentieth century. Its transformation into the Musée Hector Guimard aims both to reveal this little-known monument and to showcase, within a preserved setting, a dynamic, ambitious, and complex artistic movement.
Antoine ChapuisChief Architect of Historic Monuments
Historic monument — the Hôtel Mezzara has been listed since 2016

Overall Vision

The Musée Guimard Floor Plan

Step into the heart of the future museum: from the paved courtyard to the garden, fourteen exhibition spaces will bring Hector Guimard's work to life in its original setting.

Numbered floor plan of the Hôtel Mezzara's ground floor and garden (spaces 1 to 6, 13 and 14)
Ground floor & garden
Numbered floor plan of the Hôtel Mezzara's upper floor (spaces 7 to 12)
Upper floor

Ground Floor

  1. 1The Paved Courtyard
  2. 2The Vestibule
  3. 3The Grand Hall
  4. 4The Grand Salon
  5. 5The Dining Room
  6. 6The Small Salon

Upper Floor

  1. 7The Architecture Room (Daughters' Bedroom)
  2. 8The Métropolitain Room (Paul Mezzara's Workshop)
  3. 9The Gallery of Chairs
  4. 10Paul Mezzara's Bedroom
  5. 11The Guimard Studio (Boudoir)
  6. 12The Collaborations Room (Madame's Bedroom)

Garden

  1. 13The Tea Room Terrace
  2. 14The Monumental Métro Gate

Bringing the Museum to Life

Each project represents a concrete opportunity for engagement. Click on a project to view its detailed fact sheet (PDF, in French).

  1. The Art Nouveau dining room of the Hôtel Mezzara: carved wooden furniture, glazed sideboard and pointillist fresco

    The Architecture and Its Décor

    Supporting exceptional craftsmanship to bring the Hôtel Mezzara back to life

    Restoring the façades, roof, and décor to their original state, drawing on the most highly skilled artisans: ironworkers, founders, master glassmakers, cabinetmakers, and decorative painters.

    View the fact sheet (PDF) →

  2. A visitor in front of an interactive wall, “Hector Guimard — Key Dates”, retracing the architect's life

    Innovative Displays

    Showing Guimard in a museum rooted in its time

    Projections, immersive experiences, and smart applications — including the flagship experience of the Salle Humbert de Romans, a vanished concert hall to be revived in mixed reality.

    View the fact sheet (PDF) →

  3. White model of the Hôtel Mezzara façade, with its balcony and wrought-iron railing

    The Models

    Making visible the vanished constructions of a brilliant architect

    Restoring shape, volume, and light to lost masterpieces — the Bastille pavilion, the Castel Henriette, the Salle Humbert de Romans — through models that are both works of art and scientific tools.

    View the fact sheet (PDF) →

  4. Art Nouveau dining table by Hector Guimard, its carved wooden legs shaped in plant-like curves

    The Collection

    Enriching an exceptional Art Nouveau collection with new works

    Each acquisition fills a gap and sheds light on a little-known facet of Guimard's genius: the Coilliot table, pieces of furniture, personal objects — bringing these works together means bringing together scattered memories.

    View the fact sheet (PDF) →

  5. The historic garden of the Hôtel Mezzara, two women having tea

    The Garden

    Creating a new haven of peace in the 16th arrondissement of Paris

    Recreating the green setting of the Hôtel Mezzara: tree planting, cast-iron garden furniture reissued from Guimard's original designs, lighting — an extension of the museum and the tea room terrace.

    View the fact sheet (PDF) →

  6. Colorized vintage postcard: the Guimard Métro pavilion at Étoile station, “Le Style Guimard”

    The Monumental Métro Gate

    An exceptional full-scale project

    Recreating, full-size, in the garden, the monumental gate of the vanished Bastille and Étoile pavilions — a scientific and collective endeavor to reclaim Guimard's craftsmanship.

    View the fact sheet (PDF) →

Key Milestones

  1. 2025

    Laying the Foundations

    • Selected through the call for tenders issued by the French State, and signature of a promise of a 50-year long-term lease
    • Diagnostic assessment of the Hôtel Mezzara by the chief architect of historic monuments

  2. 2026

    Studies and Authorizations

    • Authorization for work on the historic monument, and signature of the 50-year long-term lease
    • Launch of museography and scenography programming studies

  3. 2027

    Start of Works

    • Restoration of the façades, roof, and interior spaces
    • Acquisition of works, model-making, reissue of fabrics and wallpapers
    • Planting and design of the gardens

  4. 2028

    Opening

    • Staging of the works within the museum
    • Inauguration and opening to the public

  5. 2030

    The Monumental Gate

    • Reinstatement of the monumental Métro gate in the garden

They Support Us

  • The 16th arrondissement holds an exceptional architectural heritage, with major works by Le Corbusier, Auguste Perret, Henri Sauvage, and Robert Mallet-Stevens. It is also intimately linked to Hector Guimard, who lived there and built much of his work there. The creation of the Musée Guimard will make it possible to introduce and pass on to the widest possible audience the legacy of this visionary architect, regarded as one of the forerunners of modern architecture.

    Jérémy Redler

    Mayor of the 16th arrondissement of Paris

  • Preserving and promoting the work of Hector Guimard means passing on an essential part of Parisian identity. A museum dedicated to his legacy would help remind us that public transport is not merely infrastructure: it is also a place of creation, heritage, and collective memory.

    Xavier Piechaczyk

    Chairman and CEO of the RATP Group

  • A few steps from the Castel Béranger, giving Paris back an authentic, living façade, restored to its original harmony under the guidance of the finest experts, is an invaluable gift.

    Maurice Culot

    Architect, urban planner and publisher — 2019 Driehaus Prize

  • In this way, the Hôtel Mezzara weaves refined ties between the two architects, between Brussels and Paris: overhead lighting, precision of circulation, contrasting spatiality, and a refined decorative language.

    Benjamin Zurstrassen

    Curator & Director of the Horta Museum

  • There is something timeless about Guimard that brings us close to him. […] While I myself strive to create in step with my own time, there is an undeniable kinship with Hector Guimard: leaving one's mark on one's era, through the design of interiors and objects with exceptional craftsmen!

    Edgar Jayet

    Contemporary decorative artist

Help Build a Legacy

The Musée Guimard relies on two complementary organizations, each with a clearly defined role. This structure ensures the project's solidity and long-term viability.

Le Cercle Guimard logo

Le Cercle Guimard

Individuals, companies and foundations — donations and philanthropy

A nonprofit association recognized as being of general interest, founded in 2003 and governed by the French law of 1 July 1901. For more than twenty years, it has worked to promote, preserve, and pass on the work of Hector Guimard. Its recognition of general-interest status allows donors to receive immediate, documented tax relief.

Contribute
to acquiring collection pieces that will come back to life within the Mezzara setting
Bring back to life
Guimard's buildings through “work of art” scale models
Support
a total work of art with 3D documentation and educational programs
Promote
Art Nouveau

In France: tax reduction for companies and individuals as provided by law. In Europe and the United States: tax relief solutions exist through cross-border philanthropy schemes run by the Fondation de France and its international partners.

Hector Guimard Diffusion logo

Hector Guimard Diffusion

Companies — B2B partnerships

A company dedicated to operating the museum and republishing Guimard's work, majority-owned by FABELSI. Your expertise and added value can be deployed here through partnership: reissues of unique pieces, 3D animations, sponsorships.

Associate
your brand with Paris's first Art Nouveau museum
Deploy
your expertise in a project with strong cultural and media impact
Facilitate
access to culture and the promotion of Art Nouveau
Share
Guimard's work with the world

Join the Club Mezzara: regularly brought together around their shared passion for Art Nouveau, its members will share special moments with the founders, collectors, artists, restoration craftsmen, and researchers.

Project Structure

An effective public-private partnership

The Musée Guimard project rests on a structured governance bringing together public bodies, financial partners, and cultural operators alongside an exclusive alliance between Hector Guimard Diffusion and the Cercle Guimard, which lead the museum's creation and operation.

This collective momentum aims to make this place an internationally recognized center devoted to Art Nouveau, creativity, and the promotion of France's cultural heritage.

Governance diagram: the French State, FABELSI, and the Banque des Territoires around the Foncière Guimard, Hector Guimard Diffusion, and the Cercle Guimard, serving the Musée Guimard

A Vision of Legacy and Impact Serving the Public Interest

To ensure the long-term future and excellence of the Musée Guimard within the Hôtel Mezzara, Hector Guimard Diffusion and the Cercle Guimard intend, in time, to establish a foundation recognized as being of public utility, in accordance with the French law of 23 July 1987. This foundation will be tasked with permanently guaranteeing the preservation, development, and cultural, scientific, and heritage influence of the museum.

Take Part in the Rebirth of a Major Heritage Site

Every donation, every partnership brings Paris closer to the museum it has awaited for a century. Online giving is coming soon — in the meantime, our teams are here to assist you directly.

Contact us to donateDownload the campaign document (PDF)

A Word from the Chairman

The Musée Guimard is about far more than heritage restoration alone. It carries a cultural, scientific, and human ambition: to pass on to future generations a free, inventive, and deeply optimistic outlook on the world.
Didier TranchierChairman of the Musée Guimard Support Committee

Supporting this campaign means taking part in the rebirth of a major heritage site that remains far too little known. It also means affirming that creativity, the pursuit of beauty, and confidence in the future remain essential forces for our times.

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