Musée Ziem

The Ziem Museum was founded in 1908 and houses more than 8000 works: paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures and various objects. It is located in the city centre of Martigues, in the Ferrières district. Admission is free.
In 1861, Martigues saw the studio of the painter Félix Ziem set up on its shores. In 1839, at the age of 18, he left his native Burgundy and discovered Provence and the Mediterranean Sea. The shock was immediate. Fascinated, he decided to return a few years later.

Ziem, a travelling painter, travelled to many countries. Always carrying a notebook, he drew everything he saw and constantly annotated his impressions. These sketchbooks, fortunately preserved and donated to the town of Martigues in 1991, are today an invaluable source of knowledge about the work of this artist.

Water and sky play a predominant role in the landscapes for which Félix Ziem is famous. The artist liked classical compositions in which the horizon line, placed very low, allows for large, often very bright skies. They are combined with the sea to create unique landscapes that characterise Martigues as well as Venice or Contantinople, giving these three cities an air of kinship, as Ziem painted the Serenissima or the Golden Horn in Martigues.