At the entrance of the Old Port of Marseille, floating between sea and sky, a new national museum is opening its doors. Directly facing the open sea, the MuCEM's very location makes it a major development for the Mediterranean, redefining its horizon to create a place where its two shores unite. Never before has a museum been exclusively dedicated to the cultures of the Mediterranean, despite their richness and diversity in terms of history and civilisation.




Marseille is now home to a museum in its image, leaning against the north shore of the Mediterranean, facing the sea, open to the current of change. Much more than a museum, the MuCEM is a cultural centre that brings together all disciplines of the social sciences and presents artistic expression from the Mediterranean's two shores. More importantly, it is a new way of seeing the Mediterranean as a place of openness and sharing, reflecting on a common history, understanding the dialogue of civilisations, explaining the challenges involved, applying these to contemporary phenomena, and shaping a new public space.





A fresh look at the cultures of the Mediterranean



The MuCEM focuses primarily on the cultures of the Mediterranean, from a comparative and multi-disciplinary perspective, in which Europe and other continents that border the Med will play a major role.



The aim is to reflect the "world culture" that characterises the Mediterranean in order to extend this beyond its geographical confines: the blend of Latin culture and Christianity extends to the Americas; the Muslim world unfolds from the Saharan tip of Africa to the borders of Indonesia, through the Middle East; Jewish culture has spread to all continents, and the Orthodox world, starting with Greece and South Slavic Europe, has penetrated as far as Siberia.



The MuCEM is the metamorphosis of a great museum devoted to society - the Musée des Arts et Traditions Populaires, established in 1937 - whose origins date back to 1884, with the opening of a "room" for France at the Museum of Ethnography at the Trocadéro in Paris. Ethnography was therefore its founding discipline. Today the museum's disciplinary scope has been extended to include all the social sciences: anthropology, political science, sociology, history, archaeology and art history all come together at the crossroads of methods and approaches.



The evolution of the museum's collection and its methods of presentation, as well as its program of exhibitions, debates, images and performances, reflects this extension of the historical, geographical and disciplinary scope.



On entering the Galerie de la Méditerranée (The Gallery of the Mediterranean), on the first floor of the J4 building, visitors are greeted by a 1600 sqm exhibition on the main stages in the history of civilisation in the Mediterranean region.



Collections from the MuCEM and leading French and foreign museums are showcased. The aim of this exhibition is to gradually shed light on the multifaceted history of the Mediterranean and its landscapes, cities and shores, thus helping us to better understand some of the challenges of the contemporary world: our relationship with the environment, human rights, and our relationship to the Other.



The museum also presents temporary exhibitions and seminars, feature films and documentaries, performances that will address the major issues affecting current affairs in the Mediterranean. It is about creating a real centre for culture, open to dialogue, especially on the following themes:

- Historical debates, through the exploration of relations in the Mediterranean world and with the rest of Europe, especially in terms of its colonial heritage. Different aspects of history will engage and unite groups and communities around past conflicts that have a deep resonance in the present.

- Questions of culture and belonging in everyday life, in relation to legacies of the past and cultural forms of the present. This could involve topics such as diet (whether or not linked to religious affiliation), ways of living or dressing, the relationship between modesty and immodesty, including controversy over the headscarf or burqa.

- Artistic and intellectual issues, given that the contemporary Mediterranean scene reflects the vitality of these communities. The field of images, still or moving, new artistic, musical and literary creations, all resonate with a museum of civilisations that is in tune with the contemporary world.



Social, religious and political transformations in the Mediterranean are once again placing this region at the centre of the world stage. With civil societies and cultural protagonists on the move, the MuCEM is proud to be in tune with current affairs.



The Mediterranean has an address: the MuCEM.





Developed in partnership between the State, the City of Marseille, the Département of Bouches-du-Rhône and the Region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, MuCEM is the first actual relocation of a national museum from Paris to a large regional capital. Its collections, consisting of nearly one million works, objects and documents have been transported to Marseille in their entirety.