Bastion Museum / Musée du Bastion Menton

Standing guard at the foot of Vieux Menton along the harbor wall of the city is the Bastion Museum, a seventeenth century fort built into the jetty a stone’s throw away from the newer Jean Cocteau Museum.

Long past being a defensive structure, the artist himself discovered the fort was abandoned and with the permission of the city authorities he decided to slowly turn it into a gallery museum where his work could be showcased from the inside out.

One can see the love and passion he poured into the museum, although notably a durable building, once Jean Cocteau got a hold of it, a more delicate feel came upon the exterior of the place.

Having opened to the public in 1966, three years after Cocteau’s death, this is a place he wanted to transform as a setting for his some of his own “Mediterranean” creations from the period of 1950 to 1963.

Approaching the museum as it sits perched on the edge of the sea, you instantly want to explore it and one can immediately see the welcoming touches in Cocteau’s natural pebble mosaics not only on the outside of the building but the flow is carried through on the ground floor work as well.

Inside will bring on a team of emotions. You can feel the strength of the rough, thick walls almost as though you are captured, yet there is an intimacy of the space brought through in Jean Cocteau’s use of color and mediums of work on display including everything from ceramics to paintings with new exhibitions of his art installed every year.

 

The Bastion Museum is well worth a visit. The small admission fee from either the Bastion or Jean Cocteau Museum allows you entry to both places, so why not make it a good part of your day to discover the world of Jean Cocteau.

Jean Cocteau Museum / Musée Jean Cocteau

While walking down the Promenade du Soleil along the sea towards Vieux Menton, one can’t help but notice the stunning Jean Cocteau Museum. 

Jean Cocteau Museum

The bold, crisp white color of the structure seems to gleam in the French Riviera sun while it’s characteristically Cocteau signature inspired cuts around the edges of the whole building casts unique shadows (some say resembling wings or blades of grass) along the outer layer of the space.

The relatively new Jean Cocteau Museum (2011) was designed by Rudy Ricciotti and is to say the least, brilliantly done. The architectural design almost lends itself to reflect that of a jewelry box, and encompasses everything Jean Cocteau seemed to be about, curves blended delicately against sharp angles all to play with your imagination and entice you inside.

Even though the building is of modern design, it does not appear dated and is perfectly situated against the backdrop of the historical and colorful Vieux Menton area and of course across the street from the clear, blue Mediterranean Sea.

Jean Cocteau is considered to be the adopted son of Menton so it's not surprising to find such a place would be built here dedicated to his work.

As decades before he was commissioned by the city to add a dash more culture into the surrounding environment by having him create a number of public artworks that can still be seen today. The museum both inside and out is an outstanding display of affection towards Jean Cocteau.

Stepping into the museum you immediately get a sense of calm, much like Menton itself exudes. The artist’s work housed here is from the Severin Wunderman collection and is so vast it is divided into seven themes showcasing Cocteau’s life and career.

Since Jean Cocteau worked in a variety of mediums, from paints to tapestries and even film, it is not only an educational experience to see much of his work on display but it also gives you the perspective that he wasn’t afraid to experiment yet still seemed to keep to his trademark style to a certain extent.

Other temporary artist exhibitions are also periodically on display within the premises with the museum being open every day from 10am to 6pm except for Tuesdays and public holidays.

Jean Cocteau was a well-known character with a long and I feel mischievous history in the region. It’s not unusual to come across pieces of his work in your travels but I still recommend spending an hour or two discovering more about the artist here at the Jean Cocteau Museum / Musée Jean Cocteau.