The Marais is rich in palaces, each of which can tell you quite a few spicy stories (take for example the Hôtel Rouen Sauvage or the Hôtel de Soleil) . Hôtel Salé, which we will talk about today, is no different from them, but unlike other palaces, except for the Carnaval , its present is no less interesting than its past.
The history of Hotel Sala
Where the palace now stands, there was once a tennis court and then the Marais Theatre where Corneille staged Le Cid, causing neighbours to complain that the many carriages belonging to the performers were causing huge traffic jams. The Hôtel Salé was built by Aubert de Fontenay (1584-1668), tax collector for Louis XIII and Louis XIV, who became rich from the salt tax. The name of the palace is based on a play on words. On the one hand, the word Salé means “salty”, after the source of the money for the palace, and on the other hand, the word can also be interpreted as “expensive” because of the considerable amount of money invested in it.
Aubert, who was the prototype of the nouveau riche (he began his career as a servant), decided to pry the eyes of his neighbors. The ornate facade, the staircase decorated with Corinthian columns, the stone medallions and eagle statues, all these and more were created to dazzle his guests and display his wealth. Since he owed his rise in the social ladder to his wealthy wife, he immortalized her memory in the iron railings, which include the letters A in honor of his name (Auber) and C in honor of his wife's name (Mademoiselle de Chastelin). It should be noted that his wealthy wife not only helped him advance in French society but also at the same time raised horns for him and started stormy novels with quite a few Parisian gentlemen of her time.
Aubert de Fontenay was unable to maintain his wealth for long. Like many others, he lost everything with the fall of Nicolas Fouquet, Louis XIV 's finance minister . And like Moses, who failed to reach the Promised Land, Aubert died before the palace was completed. By the way, other nouveau riche or, as the French called them, Parvenu (the one who comes soon) were much more successful than that unfortunate tax collector and entered French folklore thanks to the plays of Molière (also in the nobility) or the saying of the actress La Bruyere (La Bruyere) “There are people who go to bed as commoners and wake up as nobles). Some of the nouveau riche even managed to marry into the old noble families of France , who needed money and thus upgrade their social status. Madame de Sevigne, whose grandmother was the daughter of a tax collector, said of this: “Every now and then you have to manure the ground.”
Hotel Sala becomes Picasso museum
But let’s get back to the palace. After the fall of Auvers de Fontenay, the palace became the residence of the Venetian embassy. About a century later, the palace was purchased by the Archbishop of Paris, who decided that the statues in the courtyard were not modest enough and ordered their private parts to be covered. The palace was badly damaged during the French Revolution and faced demolition. It was saved, like many palaces in the Marais, thanks to the law of the French Minister of Education, André Malreaux, who ordered the palace to be renovated. In 1973, after Picasso’s death, his heirs were “persuaded” to donate a large part of his works to the Paris municipality in order to avoid a huge estate tax, which they could not pay. This collection of about 5000 items became the basis of the museum, and over the years another 1000 items were added that were purchased by the museum.
After about thirty years of operation, the museum was closed for renovations, which were accompanied by a scandal that led to the dismissal of the museum's director, and cost the French taxpayer about 52 million euros. The museum reopened in September 2014 and can be found in it works by Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse, Rousseau, Braque and of course Picasso. Even if you don't like modern painting, it is still recommended to visit the place and be impressed by the beauty of the palace, especially if you have bought the museum card , which makes admission free.
Information about the Picasso Museum
Address: 5 Rue de Thorigny
Metro: Saint-Sébastien-Froissart, Filles du Calvaire
Museum type: Paid
Links: Buy a ticket | Museum website
Opening days and hours: Tuesday through Friday the museum is open from 1030-1800 and on Saturday and Sunday the museum is open from 0930-1800. Closed on Monday.
Want to get to know Picasso's Paris?
Why not try the itinerary that follows , most of which takes place in the Montmartre district.
