Maison Gainsbourg and its museum in Paris: a plunge into the world of the famous artist

30 minutes of immersion in Serge Gainsbourg's incredible home, where everything has remained unchanged since his death on March 2, 1991. This is the moving and incredible experience that the Maison Gainsbourg has been offering since September 20, 2023. For the occasion, we pushed open the doors of the Maison Gainsbourg. We tell you all about this visit, a real plunge into the singer's intimacy, guided by Charlotte Gainsbourg's voice.

5 bis rue de Verneuil, in Paris's 7th arrondissement, is one of the capital's legendary addresses. A place of pilgrimage for many, this graffiti-covered house was for over 20 years the home of the illustrious Lucien Ginsburg, aka Serge Gainsbourg. Since September 20, 2023, and after many years of waiting, the fascinating Maison Gainsbourg is finally open to the public, with the opening of a museum dedicated to the singer just around the corner. A bookshop-boutique, a café-restaurant and a piano-bar are also on site. Sortir à Paris had the opportunity to visit these two sites (a few days before the official opening), not without emotion. An emotion made all the stronger by Jane Birkin 's death on July 16, 2023. We tell you all about this immersive audio experience, as incredible as it is disconcerting.

Please note that new visit slots are regularly offered online, on the official Maison Gainsbourg website. Two types of ticket are available for sale: one for the"House & Museum" tour, and one for the"Museum only" tour from June 1 to September 30, 2024.

The tour of this twin tour begins at the Maison Gainsbourg, located at N°5 bis rue de Verneuil, where the man with the cabbage head lived from 1969 until his death on March 2, 1991. At the entrance, we are told how the 30-minute immersion in this legendary home will unfold. With headphones on and an audioguide around her neck, Charlotte Gainsbourg's voice takes us from room to room, recounting anecdotes and childhood memories from an impressive collection ofintact objects scattered throughout the house.

But please, put your phone on silent mode; photos and videos are forbidden to fully enjoy the moment and keep the mystery alive. Due to the small size of some of the rooms, only two of us set off on this tour of the Maison Gainsbourg at the same time. And before entering the first room, hidden behind a door that we're asked to close behind us, we're invited to wipe our feet, as if we were entering our own or a friend's home, and so as not to damage the carpets and rugs that cover a large part of the house.

Charlotte Gainsbourg's gentle voice rings in our ears, inviting us into the first room of the house: the living room. We're immediately struck by the busy decor and the way the house has been preserved by the actress and singer. And that's what makes this visit so fascinating. " No, it hasn't changed, and I haven't dared touch anything," Charlotte Gainsbourg confided in an interview on the TV show Quotidien in 2017. A strange sensation quickly sweeps through us: that of time travel and a leap into the past, more than 30 years ago.

Maison Gainsbourg: a plunge into the intimacy of the artist and his family

But back to the tour and the Maison Gainsbourg, " a collector 's house", as Charlotte Gainsbourg tells us in the headphones. There's a showcase of vinyl records and books, and a nude photo of Jane Birkin and Brigitte Bardot. Turning around, we discover two pianos, a sofa, an old telephone - but modern for its time - and this briefcase, Charlotte Gainsbourg's " most precious " object. A briefcase into which her father used to slip his 500-franc bills, glasses and cigarettes, as well as his papers and texts. The singer's daughter explains that this part of the living room was where her father conducted interviews and entertained guests. It's impossible to move between these pieces of furniture and objects, as glass barriers separate us, but in no way hinder our visit.

We are then invited to leave this space and take the corridor to the kitchen. Here we discover the famous clear-glass fridge with cans and preserves still visible, as well as a shelf with an impressive collection of empty wine bottles. Charlotte's voice, as touching as ever, is interwoven with a recording of Serge Gainsbourg talking to children. Emotion guaranteed, with the strange sensation of sharing their daily lives. We also learn that he always ate with the same fork, and that the family used to watch TV at the table.

We continue our visit by passing a series of photos of the famous puppet from Les Guignols de l'info featuring Serge Gainsbourg, then arrive again in front of the living room, but this time from the other side, the one offering a " family view ". An ashtray containing a few cigarette butts sits on a cabinet, while a multitude of police badges sits on a glass table. " Anything he could take from the cops made him happy," Charlotte Gainsbourg's voice humorously recounts.

Then we head upstairs, as the sound of creaking parquet flooring echoes in our ears. On this level of the house, we discover in turn Serge Gainsbourg's small wardrobe with its emblematic white Repetto shoes, then the unsettling dolls' room, not forgetting his study where tons of books are laid out (Boris Vian, Marilyn Monroe, Nicolas de Staël, Jérôme Bosch, Jan van Eyck...)....).

We then arrive in front of the bathroom with its imposing chandelier, located right next to Serge Gainsbourg's bedroom, the centerpiece of this house, where the emotional visit ends. For Charlotte Gainsbourg, this room represents both a painful memory, as it was here that her father was found lifeless. But it's also the place where Serge and Charlotte used to watch films together at weekends.

We could tell you a lot more about this dive into Serge Gainsbourg's intimacy, about the Maison Gainsbourg, about what's inside it, and about the many anecdotes Charlotte Gainsbourg sincerely recounts. But we don't want to tell you everything either, preferring to let you be guided by the moving and moving voice of the woman we thank a thousand times over for opening this unique place to the general public. Who better than her to describe her father's habits? Who better than Charlotte Gainsbourg to tell us what went on in the sublime home of this " loner who didn't like solitude ". And who better than his daughter to tell us about these childhood memories, sometimes painful and moving, but also funny and deeply touching.

In the end, we come away from the Maison Gainsbourg, where Jane, Charlotte, Kate and later Bambou also lived, with the strange sensation of having experienced an incredibly intimate and unique immersion, of having gone back in time in the footsteps of an immense artist who continues to fascinate crowds to this day, and of a family that has truly marked the hearts of French women and men. An experience you'll want to do again and again!

After about 30 minutes in the artist's former home (too short, some would say), head for 14 rue de Verneuil, now home to the Serge Gainsbourg Museum, a bookshop-boutique and the Gainsbarre.

The Gainsbourg Museum: an insight into the life, work and career of Serge Gainsbourg

Here, in a long corridor, fans of the singer can (re)discover the different facets of the artist through a journey divided into eight chronological chapters, covering several eras of his career: the Left Bank of the early 60s, Swinging London in the 70s and the 80s between the palaces and the Palace... Numerous objects - almost 450 to be precise - most of which belonged to Serge Gainsbourg, are on display, including manuscripts, works of art, curios (ebony and ivory umbrella handles, a doll's head...), photos, clothes (a " Boy Scouts of America " shirt, a one-button ladies' jacket with tennis stripes...) and jewelry. Opposite these showcases, eight screens display a selection of rare and iconic archives. They also feature the artist's unique voice.

At the end of this corridor, on the right, a staircase leads directly to the basement. Here, we find the temporary exhibition dedicated to the 45 rpm " Je t'aime... moi non plus ". Published in February 1969, this record is an album of encounters: that of the mythical couple formed by Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg, but also that of Jane Birkin with the public. Between two display cases, we discover an armchair on which rest two puppets bearing the effigy of Serge Gainsbourg; one given to the artist by a fan around 1984, the other created by Pascal Gilbert.

The tour ends with a final door that takes us back downstairs to the famous Gainsbarre, a café-restaurant, cocktail bar and piano bar inspired by the early years of Serge Gainsbourg's musical career.

Fans of the irreplaceable Serge Gainsbourg can visit the Maison Gainsbourg and the museum in Paris's 7th arrondissement. At present, all the slots on offer until May 31, 2024 are fully booked. But the Maison Gainsbourg has announced the opening date for new bookings. Mark your calendars! The new slots will open on Tuesday April 9 at 12pm, exclusively online, on the official Maison Gainsbourg website.

As the venue states, available tickets will cover the period from June 1 to September 30, 2024. Two routes are proposed: the"House & Museum" route as well as the"Museum only" route. "Giventhe intimate configuration of the premises and in order to preserve the quality of the visiting experience, the number of tickets available is limited," the museum adds.