Journées du Patrimoine 2025: events at the Musée Jean-Jacques Henner in Paris

There are over 200 museums in Paris! We're often familiar with the most famous: the Louvre, the Centre Pompidou, the Musée d'Orsay, the Musée Carnavalet, the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle... These are extraordinary institutions, of course, but they somewhat overshadow the more confidential but equally magnificent museums.

That's what the Journées du Patrimoine are all about! This cultural event opens the doors of many historic and cultural sites throughout France. It's a great opportunity to discover hidden and little-known nuggets close to home. In Paris, you can visit the Musée National Jean-Jacques Henner, in the 17th arrondissement, free of charge.

This museum is dedicated to the painter Jean-Jacques Henner, and features some 300 works of art, furniture and antiques, tracing both the life and career of the Parisian artist. This two-storey mansion, located just off the Parc Monceau, gives us a glimpse into the painter 's daily life and society in the 19th century. If you've never visited this charming museum, make the most of the Heritage Days on the weekend of September 20 and 21!

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The program for these Heritage Days at the Jean-Jacques Henner Museum:

• Self-guided tour of the museum's collections
  Saturday, September 20, 2025 - 11:00 ⤏ 18:00 | Sunday, September 21, 2025 - 11:00 ⤏ 18:00
  

  On the occasion of the 42nd European Heritage Days, the museum is opening its doors to visitors free of charge to discover its collections and the private mansion that houses them.

  It's also an opportunity to discover the special exhibition "Henner intime. The man behind the artist".

  
  
  
• Intimate Henner. The man behind the artist.
  Saturday, September 20, 2025 - 11:00 ⤏ 17:30 | Sunday, September 21, 2025 - 11:00 ⤏ 17:30
  

  As part of the European Heritage Days 2025, the museum is opening its doors to you free of charge to discover its permanent collections and the special exhibition "Henner intime, l'homme derrière l'artiste".

  This exhibition combines personal objects, photographs and paintings to reveal the 19th-century individual behind the artist, with his habits and personality.

  Today, the general public knows Jean-Jacques Henner (1829-1905) for his career and his works, now identified and disseminated thanks to the museographic work carried out at the Henner museum, temporary exhibitions and publications that have developed over the last twenty years. But behind the artist is also a man, a 19th-century individual with his own history, personality and habits. Through a number of objects that once belonged to him, as well as photographs and manuscripts, this exhibition invites visitors to plunge into Henner's intimacy, to discover his daily life and to better understand the character traits of this endearing character. All the documents presented, from Henner's studio, have been handed down by his nephew and heir, Jules Henner, and his niece by marriage, Marie Henner, née Dujardin, who donated the museum to the French state.

  
  
  

Le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.

And if you want to visit even more museums during this festive weekend, check out our guide!

Journées du Patrimoine 2025: the program at museums in Paris and the Île-de-France region
During this 2025 edition of the Journées du Patrimoine, a large number of museums and art foundations are opening their doors free of charge in Paris and the Île-de-France region. Join us on Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21, 2025, for a program full of wonderful discoveries. [Read more]