Explore the Mucem’s collections

Lions, tigers, panthers, bears, elephants, kangaroos, camels, cats, dogs, and more... Is there a creature on earth who escaped the meticulous illustrations of Gustave Soury, the portraitist of circus animals?

Magic and sorcery: some of us consider them laughable superstitions, others firmly believe, and many are uncertain. Without taking a position on the matter, the Mucem has preserved many reminders of the importance, and even violence, of the practice of magic in France, Europe and around the Mediterranean.

Protest movements, social movements, and more: the MuCEM preserves the memory of these demonstrations that made their mark on history. Posters, leaflets and banners are the fragile witnesses of these people’s rallies. Discover a selection of creations from May 1968.

Coffee (qahwa in Arabic, a term also used to refer to wine) came to us from the Arab and Ottoman world. From the plateaux of Abyssinia, where there is evidence of the cultivation of coffee trees as early as the 12th century, coffee crossed the Red Sea, first being grown on the coastline of “Happy Arabia” (modern-day Yemen), and then in the tropical climes of the territories of the great colonial empires beginning in the 17th century.

From St. Francis to Claude François, the relics of celebrities have a sacred aura that incites fans and believers to touch and acquire these sometime intrinsically humble objects. The Mucem’s collections contain treasures of saints and star. The perfect materials for a comprehensive pilgrimage...

Unexpected materials, surprising representations, puzzling quantities: the collections in the Mucem contain lots of unexpected items that reach out to people. Why would you save plastic bags? What is the point of this piece of wood with three holes that looks like a very pointed clog? Who could actually make a model of a boat out of hair and cardboard – and why would they do that? All these questions about the overarching approach to building a national heritage – and we answer them twenty-six letters.