Maison Gainsbourg
Former home of and museum dedicated to Serge Gainsbourg in Paris
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maison Gainsbourg (French: [mɛzɔ̃ ɡɛ̃zbuʁ]; Gainsbourg House) is a house museum in Paris dedicated to French musician Serge Gainsbourg (1928–1991). It comprises Gainsbourg's residence at 5bis Rue de Verneuil, preserved as it appeared on 2 March 1991, the day Gainsbourg died there;[3] and a museum, library, bookstore, and piano bar called Gainsbarre at 14bis Rue de Verneuil.[1] It opened in September 2023.[1]
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14bis (museum and bar)
Rue de Verneuil
7th arrondissement, Paris, France
The exterior of Maison Gainsbourg on the Rue de Verneuil | |
  Location within Paris | |
| Established | 20 September 2023 |
|---|---|
| Location | 5bis (residence) 14bis (museum and bar) Rue de Verneuil 7th arrondissement, Paris, France |
| Coordinates | 48.85712°N 2.331608°E |
| Type | Historic house museum |
| Director | Anatole Maggiar[1] |
| Curator | Sébastien Merlet[2] |
| Website | maisongainsbourg |
History
Gainsbourg bought the house at 5 bis in 1969, the year he and Jane Birkin recorded "Je t'aime... moi non plus."[1][4] Gainsbourg and Birkin lived there until separating in 1980.[3][4] Gainsbourg had called the residence his "maison-musée" ("house-museum").[2]
After Gainsbourg died in 1991, the home stayed closed for over 30 years.[4] Its exterior became covered with graffiti.[3] Gainsbourg's daughter Charlotte owns and preserved the residence.[3][4]
The house
The house at 5 bis appears as it did on the day of Gainsbourg's death.[2][3] The 130-square-metre (1,400 sq ft)[1] house is dark, with black felt covering the walls.[2][3]
The house holds roughly 25,000 items,[4] including antique furniture, gold records, cigarette packs, framed spiders, surgical tools, police badges, and the Steinway piano where Gainsbourg composed.[1][3][4] Artwork depicts his muses, including Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Gréco, Françoise Hardy, Vanessa Paradis, and Birkin.[4]
Visitors enter in pairs at timed intervals.[1] They wear headphones playing an audio guide narrated by Charlotte Gainsbourg in French and English, backed by archival sounds.[1]
Museum and bar
The building at 14 bis rue de Verneuil houses a museum and piano bar, the Gainsbarre, which presents a visual timeline of Gainsbourg's life and career.[2] The collection includes letters, photographs, lyrics written by Gainsbourg, an original "La Marseillaise" draft by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, and the sculpture L'Homme à tête de chou by Claude Lalanne.[1][3] A basement space hosts temporary exhibitions.[1] Jacques Garcia designed the museum and bar in the house's aesthetic.[1][4]
