Nouveau Musée National de Monaco - Villa Sauber

The Nouveau Musée National de Monaco (NMNM) showcases the heritage of the Principality of Monaco and promotes contemporary works of art through temporary exhibitions at its two locations: Villa Paloma and Villa Sauber. This approach is rooted in a unique country whose history has always been characterised by a dialogue between artistic, scientific and cultural disciplines, and support for designers, thinkers and researchers.

   

A little history

Villa Sauber is one of the last Belle Epoque villas in Monaco. Its precise date of construction is not known, but it is well established that it belonged to the Blanc family in the early 1900s. The family played a key role in the development of the Société des Bains de Mer and the Casino de Monte-Carlo. 

At that time, the area which bordered the waterfront was known as the Quartier des Bas-Moulins, and Larvotto Beach did not yet exist. The newly acquired property extended down to the path which runs alongside the sea. The painter Robert Sauber purchased the villa from Edmond Blanc in 1904. Given the similarities between this building and the Opera House constructed during the same period by Charles Garnier, there has often been a temptation to attribute the villa to the famous Belle Epoque architect.
Sauber, originally from London, set up his studio in the villa’s west wing. He and his wife would continue to own the property, now known as Villa Sauber, for 10 years. They sold it shortly before war was declared in 1914. It then passed through several hands before the Saubers bought it back in 1925.

In the early 1930s, the by then elderly Sauber couple bequeathed the villa to the Court Funds of the City of London Police.

The Court Funds retained ownership of the villa for around 15 years until it was purchased by Miss Nora Mac Caw in 1952. Miss Mac Caw sold it to the Société Immobilière de l'Avenue Princesse Grace in 1957, from which Monaco’s Société Immobilière Domaniale finally purchased it in 1969. The house and garden have remained the property of the State of Monaco ever since.

Open daily from 10 am to 6 pm during exhibitions 
Closed on 1 January, 1 May, the four days of the Grand Prix, 19 November and 25 December

Admission:
Adults: NMNM ticket (Villa Paloma + Villa Sauber) – €6 
Group ticket: €4 (min. 15 people) 
Combined ticket NMNM/Exotic Garden/Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology: €10
Entrance is free on Sundays
Free for under 26s, school and children’s groups, Monegasque nationals, ICOM and CIMAM members, jobseekers (with identification), people with disabilities

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