The museum
Located in the 2nd arrondissement of Marseille, it is part of the Vieille Charité, on the 2nd floor. The MAAOA opened its doors in March 1992, supervised by the archaeologist Alain Nicolas, to whom we also owe another museum in Marseille: the Marseille History Museum.
The collections
The Museum of Arts of Africa, Oceania and Amerindia offers, among other things, a broad panorama of the art of civilizations from all around the Mediterranean, including a department entirely and exclusively dedicated to ancient Egypt. The establishment has the second largest French collection just behind the Louvre. Near East, Cyprus, Greece, Etruria and Rome... discover the wonders of these ancient civilizations through a journey full of historical treasures.
Three rooms, three permanent collections:
The Africa room where a large collection of masks, statues and objects from the colonial museums of the Phocaean city is exhibited.
The Mexico room where you can admire the collection of sculpted and painted human skulls that belonged to Doctor Gastaut or even ornaments made of Amerindian feathers.
The Oceania and Americas room offers a collection of more than 3,000 masks, statues, paintings and other objects brought back by François Reichenbach during his travels.
Visit the MAAOA
If you are wondering what to do in Marseille, here is the answer: La Vieille Charité is one of the most important monuments if you come to visit Marseille! Plan your activities in Marseille in order to have time to visit everything that interests you and to make sure you don't miss out on certain places.
Opening hours are: from 10am to 6pm from Tuesday to Sunday. Feel free to go to the ticket office to buy your tickets in advance and avoid queuing.
With the wide choice of museums and exhibitions in Marseille, you will be spoilt for choice to satisfy your curiosity. Moreover, for fans of modern art, we strongly recommend the Contemporary Art Museum.
Finally, after your visit, you can go back to the Old Port and enjoy one of the many restaurants in Marseille.
