Discover the private world of Victor Hugo. Get to know the man, the visionary artist, the proactive thinker and, of course, the writer of genius.
Visit the places where he lived
In 1901, in anticipation of Victor Hugo's centenary, and in agreement with the poet's grandchildren (Georges and Jeanne) and their mother (Alice Lockroy), Paul Meurice made a proposal to the City of Paris to create a “Maison de Victor Hugo”, similar to the houses of Dante, Shakespeare or Goethe. The location that was chosen was the Hôtel de Rohan Guéménée, at 6, place des Vosges, where the poet lived from 1832 to 1848, and which was owned by the City of Paris.
Opened on 30 June 1903
The museum is a testament to the dedication and magnanimity of Paul Meurice. He generously he donated his own collection, and also acquired Juliette Drouet’s collection (which had been inherited by her nephew Louis Koch) to give to the museum. He used his royalties from the final edition of The Works of Victor Hugo to purchase additional works or solicit donations to fill in the gaps. He also commissioned living artists to celebrate Hugo and his work, and financed some of the renovation work. He was, above all, the true creator of this museum. He got the family on board and inspired their generosity. They supported the project with particularly important donations, such as the portraits from Hauteville House and the room where the great man died.
Paul Meurice was 18 years old when, in 1836, as a passionate admirer of the poet, he walked through the door of Victor Hugo's apartment on Place Royale for the first time. In the evening of his life, on June 30, 1903, he again crossed the threshold of 6 Place des Vosges to inaugurate the museum he had designed and for which he had been responsible.
Between these dates, Paul Meurice pursued a career as a playwright. His school friend, Auguste Vacquerie, took him to meet Victor Hugo. He started off working with Hugo and, in 1842, created an adaptation of Falstaff with Théophile Gautier. In 1847, he began a fruitful collaboration with Alexandre Dumas and then with George Sand.
Alongside Auguste Vacquerie, who asked him to be editor-in-chief of L'Evénement, he worked with Charles and François-Victor Hugo on the newspaper founded by their father in 1848. In 1851, he was imprisoned with the poet's sons, after publishing an article against the death penalty. It was at this point that Victor Hugo had to go into exile and sell his property. This auction made Meurice the first collector of Victor Hugo memorabilia, as he acquired several pieces, including the painting of Le Burg à la croix [Fortress with the Crucifix]. He also became the depositary of the family’s remaining furniture and works of art, which he later sent to Guernsey.
During Hugo’s 18-year exile, Meurice was Hugo’s man in Paris, trustworthy and able to relay his ideas. As can be seen from their preserved correspondence, the two were in constant dialogue. Meurice was responsible for publishing Hugo's works, drawing up contracts, proofreading and corrections. When censorship was eased, he also oversaw the programming of plays along with the selection of theatres and actors. He wrote the adaptation of Les Misérables, which he directed with Charles Hugo in 1863.
In the meantime, Paul Meurice led his own career, bringing his many plays to the stage, including Benvenuto Cellini (1852), Schamyl (1854), La Famille Aubry (1857), the famous Fanfan la Tulipe (1858), Le Maître d'école (1858) and François les bas bleus (1863). The manuscripts of these plays are held in the museum.
In 1869, shortly before the fall of the Second Empire, again with Auguste Vacquerie and Victor Hugo's sons, he founded the newspaper Le Rappel. The fall of the Empire only strengthened their ties. Upon his return to Paris, Victor Hugo stayed at Meurice's home and towards the end of his life, he regularly spent the summer at Meurice’s villa in Veules-les-Roses. This close literary collaboration continued, with stage adaptations of The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1879 and Ninety-Three in 1881. Meurice became more and more responsible for the editorial follow-up, especially for the complete works that Hugo regularly produced. Meurice continued this task after the writer’s death. Hugo had also appointed him executor of his literary work.
Over these long years of friendship and collaboration, Hugo marked this deep bond with many tokens of gratitude, such as signed books and drawings sent for the New Year or on the occasion of a visit. So Meurice built up a collection, which was to form the core of the museum he craved, whose principles he conceived. To this end, he put all his passion into completing this collection through purchases or donations that he obtained. In 1902, he was able to gift it to the City of Paris so that on the Place des Vosges, Hugo would be remembered on a par with Dante, Shakespeare and Goethe in “La Maison de Victor Hugo”.
Donation in 1927
The family’s generosity continued. In 1927, two years after Georges Hugo's death, his sister and children (Marguerite, François and Jean), donated Hauteville House to the City of Paris. This was the house that Hugo had acquired and refurbished on Guernsey. Hauteville House symbolises Hugo's exile, where he wrote so many great works. And through its remarkable décor, it is also embodies the poetic and philosophical world of Victor Hugo. Later, from the end of the Second World War until 1980, the painter, Jean Hugo, built up the museum's collection of manuscripts, which was completed by donations from collectors. Throughout the history of the museum, an active acquisition policy and numerous donations have continued to grow the collection.
Present Day
Visitors to Guernsey can discover this sanctuary, which has been preserved in its entirety. In Paris, the museum comprises Victor Hugo's apartment on the second floor and a temporary exhibition space on the first floor.
The museum remains faithful to the purpose that Paul Meurice defined from the outset. It aims to give a well-rounded account of the many facets of Victor Hugo: the man, writer and artist, and to bear witness to the role he played in his time, and the impact he has continued to have, right up to the present day.
Jean Hugo, one of the great painters of the 20th century, was also a generous donor to the museum.
Jean Hugo was born in Paris on 19 November 1894. He was the son of Georges Hugo and Pauline Ménard-Dorian, the grandson of Charles Hugo, and the great-grandson of Victor Hugo. He had a sister, Marguerite, and a half-brother, François, who worked as a goldsmith, specialising in the creation of artists' jewellery. Jean reached adulthood through war.
He was mobilised on 4 September 1914 and posted to the 36th regiment. In spring 1915, he was wounded on the Artois Front. He returned to action in November, and took part in the Battle of the Somme, then in the Battle of Verdun. Appointed second lieutenant, he was posted as an interpreter to the 1st American division and took part in the Battle of Cantigny in 1918. He was decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross. His artistic vocation was born during the war when he made numerous drawings, like his father with whom he crossed paths at the front.
In 1919, Jean Hugo married Valentine Gross, who was also a painter, known as Valentine Hugo. Both frequented avant-garde circles. Friends with of Cocteau, de Radiguet, and musicians such as Erik Satie, Georges Auric and Francis Poulenc, Jean Hugo designed numerous sets for the theatre and cinema, notably for Carl Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc. After separating from Valentine, he moved to the Mas de Fourques in Lunel and converted to Catholicism, continuing his career as a painter, decorator and illustrator. He remarried in 1949 to Lauretta Hope-Nicholson (1919-2005) and had seven children. He published his memoirs under the title Le Regard de la mémoire. He died at the Mas de Fourques in 1984.
Jean Hugo has always understood the legacy represented by his great-grandfather's work, and felt his duty to uphold his memory. So he always set considerable store by the museum. He donated Hauteville House along with his Aunt Jeanne, sister, and half-brother, and also donated several works. But above all, he is responsible for providing the important collection of manuscripts that has enriched the collections. When the museum was created, manuscripts were actually excluded from the collections, in accordance with Victor Hugo's will. But after Jeanne Hugo's death, with the agreement of her son, Charles Daudet, and his own sister Marguerite and brother François, Jean was undoubtedly the driving force behind the deposit of a large collection of manuscripts and correspondence, which was confirmed as a gift in 1950. This was only the first of many generous donations over a long period, which continued to the eve of his death. As he sorted through the archives kept at the Mas de Fourques, he made regular donations to the museum until 1980. He worked to realise his wish that the Maison de Victor Hugo should be the repository for Victor Hugo's private and family memory, based on the correspondence between Victor and his close friends and family, and also on the writings of several family members, including General Hugo, Madame Hugo, Charles, François-Victor and Adèle. The precious archives documenting the poet’s life have also entered the museum thanks to his generosity. This exceptional collection has set an example, leading to numerous donations from collectors, such as Georges Ravault in 1976, whose collection contained over 1,000 items. The gradual online publication of these manuscripts on the parismuseescollections.paris.fr website is intended to pay tribute to Jean Hugo’s major role in the museum.
Jean Hugo is also represented in the museum in his own right as a painter, with free works, paintings, gouache watercolours, and drawings, as well as two sets of costume models relating to Victor Hugo's work, for the centenary of Ruy Blas and for a film based on The Man Who Laughs.
Jean Hugo a toujours été conscience de l’héritage que représentait l’œuvre de son arrière-grand-père et du devoir de mémoire à son égard. Aussi a-t-il toujours porté une grande attention au musée. Donateur de Hauteville House au côté de sa tante, Jeanne, de sa sœur et de son demi-frère, il fait aussi don de plusieurs œuvres. Mais surtout, il est véritablement à l’origine de l’important fonds de manuscrits qui a enrichi les collections. En effet, à la création du musée, en conformité avec le testament de Victor Hugo, les manuscrits avaient été exclus des collections. Mais après la mort de Jeanne Hugo, en accord avec le fils de cette dernière, Charles Daudet, et avec sa sœur, Marguerite et son frère François, il a sans doute joué un rôle moteur pour le dépôt, confirmé en don en 1950, d’un important ensemble de manuscrits et de correspondance. Ce n’était que la première marque d’une longue générosité qui s’est poursuivie jusqu’à la veille de sa mort ; au fur et à mesure qu’il trie les archives conservées au mas de Fourques, il fait, jusqu’en 1980, des dons réguliers au musée. Son vœu et son projet étaient que la maison de Victor Hugo soit le conservatoire de la mémoire intime et familiale de Victor Hugo, autour de la correspondance de Victor, de ses proches et de ses relations, d’une part, et d’autre part des écrits des différents membres de la famille, depuis le général Hugo, Mme Hugo, Charles, François-Victor et Adèle. Mais ce sont aussi de précieuses archives, documentant la vie du poète, qui sont entrées au musée grâce à sa générosité. Cet ensemble exceptionnel a eu valeur d’exemple, entrainant de nombreux dons de collectionneurs, comme celui de Georges Ravault, en 1976, comptant plus d’un millier de pièces. La mise en ligne progressive de ces manuscrits sur le portail parismuseescollections.paris.fr entend rendre hommage au rôle majeur joué par Jean Hugo.
Jean Hugo, le peintre, est aussi représenté au musée avec des œuvres libres, peintures, gouaches et dessins et aussi deux ensembles de maquettes de costumes, liés à l’œuvre de Victor Hugo, pour le centenaire de Ruy Blas et pour un projet de film d’après L’Homme qui rit.
