ART MUSEUM

It's certainly one of the most beautiful and interesting museums in Algiers, and also one of the largest art museums in Africa.

A little history. The elegant Musée National des Beaux-Arts, designed by Paul Guion, stands majestically opposite the Jardin d'Essai. Inaugurated in 1930 to mark its centenary, it is the largest museum in Algeria. The museum initially received the collections of the former Musée Municipal des Beaux-Arts, which stood on the present site of the Hôtel Safir, and then expanded under the direction of Jean Alazard. During the Algerian war, France repatriated many of the works, and it wasn't until 1965 that the museum reopened, and then again in 1968. The museum continues to grow, thanks in particular to donations and the acquisition of works by contemporary Algerian artists. It features a collection of European paintings from the ^14th to the ^20th century (Fantin-Latour, Pissaro, Gauguin, Corot, Monet, Vuillard and Utrillo), as well as sculptures by Rodin, Maillol, Bourdelle and Belmondo. Three rooms are devoted to Orientalism, which spread from 1830 onwards, with works by Eugène Delacroix, Alfred Dehodencq, Théodore Chassériau, Auguste Renoir, Eugène Fromentin and Etienne-Nasreddine Dinet. Algerian art is represented by a collection of works by Mohamed Temmam, Abdelhalim Hemche, Mohamed Ranem, Bachir Yellès and by the work of artists from the "school of the sign", including Mohamed Khadda, and those from the Aouchem collective, Denis Martinez, Baya, Mesli Choukri... The Algerianist movement is represented by works by Albert Marquet, mainly depicting views of the port. The museum also features works by contemporary Algerian artists such as Boutaleb, Mohamed Bouzid, Baya, Mohamed Khadda, Abdallah Benanteur, and several international artists such as Wilfredo Lam, Roberto Matta, Ernest Pignon-Ernest... who supported the Algerian cause and donated works to the "Art and Revolution" exhibition in 1963. The print cabinet features a sublime collection by the Algerian master of miniature and illumination, Mohamed Racim.

The museum's library has been renovated and since April 2009 offers a new space for reading, cultural encounters and workshops. The museum's pretty terrace offers a sublime view of the Jardin d'Essai below. It's a great place to sit for a while and contemplate the park's lush vegetation and the sea in the background.