# The Picasso Museum and the Hôtel Salé > The Hôtel Salé, on rue de Thorigny, houses the Picasso Museum: history of the mansion and the collections, and visiting tips from Le Marais. Source: https://www.hotel-herse-dor.com/en/blog/picasso-museum-hotel-sale Published: 2026-10-18 Updated: 2026-11-12 [Skip to content](#main) [**Herse d'Or** 3-star hotel · Paris Marais](https://www.hotel-herse-dor.com/en) [FR](https://www.hotel-herse-dor.com/blog/musee-picasso-hotel-sale) [Home](https://www.hotel-herse-dor.com/en) / The Picasso Museum and the Hôtel Salé The Herse d’Or guide · 6 min read # The Picasso Museum and the Hôtel Salé A 17th-century mansion in the heart of Le Marais houses one of the world's major collections devoted to Pablo Picasso. ## A mansion built on salt The Hôtel Salé, on rue de Thorigny, was built between 1656 and 1660 by the architect Jean Boullier de Bourges for Pierre Aubert de Fontenay, a collector of the gabelle, the salt tax. Parisians nicknamed it "Hôtel Salé" ("salted") after the fortune they credited to that tax, and the name stuck. [![Courtyard façade of the Hôtel Salé, home of the Picasso Museum](https://www.hotel-herse-dor.com/images/hd-p-picasso-1-800.webp)](https://www.hotel-herse-dor.com/images/hd-p-picasso-1-1200.webp) *Photo : GFreihalter, [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paris_3e_H%C3%B4tel_Sal%C3%A9_Mus%C3%A9e_Picasso_112.jpg)* ## From residence to museum The mansion housed the Venetian ambassador (1668-1670), a marshal of France, then the Juigné family until the Revolution, and in the 19th century the École centrale des arts et manufactures. The City of Paris became its owner in 1964. When Picasso died in 1973, his heirs paid the inheritance tax in works of art: the settlement was ratified in 1979. The architect Roland Simounet transformed the mansion from 1976 to 1985, and the museum opened in 1985. ## What you will see The museum holds more than 5,000 works by Picasso (paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, ceramics) and a very large archive. After a renovation that began in 2009, it reopened in October 2014 with the whole building given over to exhibitions. You follow the artist from one period to the next in the rooms of this baroque mansion. [![The Hôtel Salé seen from rue de Thorigny, home of the Picasso Museum](https://www.hotel-herse-dor.com/images/hd-p-picasso-2-800.webp)](https://www.hotel-herse-dor.com/images/hd-p-picasso-2-1200.webp) *Photo : Arthur Crbz, [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mus%C3%A9e_Picasso_Paris_-_H%C3%B4tel_Sal%C3%A9_-_Mai_2015_03.JPG)* ## Preparing your visit - Keep time for the building itself: the staircase and the courtyard are worth a look. - The Carnavalet Museum and [Victor Hugo's house](https://www.hotel-herse-dor.com/en/blog/victor-hugo-house-place-des-vosges) fit into the same day. - For the rest of the day, see our [one-day route through Le Marais](https://www.hotel-herse-dor.com/en/blog/one-day-in-the-marais). ## Why Hôtel de la Herse d'Or is the best base to visit the Picasso Museum From 20 rue Saint-Antoine, you reach the Picasso Museum on foot through Le Marais, via Place des Vosges (100 m). You keep Bastille, 200 m away, for the evening, and Notre-Dame and the Louvre, under 20 minutes on foot, for the next day. Luggage can be left at the front desk, open 24 hours a day. **Good to know.** Opening hours, prices and booking rules change: check the museum's official website before you go. ## Frequently asked questions **Why is the Hôtel Salé called that?** Parisians nicknamed it after the fortune of its owner, Pierre Aubert de Fontenay, a collector of the gabelle, the salt tax. **When did the Picasso Museum open?** It opened in 1985 in the Hôtel Salé, on rue de Thorigny, and reopened in October 2014 after renovation. [Book direct](https://sky-eu1.clock-software.com/spa/pms-wbe/#/hotel/12223) Book direct on our website for the best price. ## Also read - [Victor Hugo's house, Place des Vosges](https://www.hotel-herse-dor.com/en/blog/victor-hugo-house-place-des-vosges) - [Why stay in Le Marais, near Bastille](https://www.hotel-herse-dor.com/en/blog/why-stay-in-le-marais-near-bastille) - [Place des Vosges, the jewel of Le Marais](https://www.hotel-herse-dor.com/en/blog/place-des-vosges-guide) - [All blog articles](https://www.hotel-herse-dor.com/en/blog) Hôtel de la Herse d'Or 3-star hotel · Paris Marais 20 rue Saint-Antoine, 75004 Paris [+33 1 48 87 84 09](tel:+33148878409)[info@hotel-herse-dor.com](mailto:info@hotel-herse-dor.com) © 2026 Hôtel de la Herse d'Or · All rights reserved [Legal notice](https://www.hotel-herse-dor.com/en/legal-notice)[Privacy](https://www.hotel-herse-dor.com/en/privacy)[Terms](https://www.hotel-herse-dor.com/en/terms) [Book](https://sky-eu1.clock-software.com/spa/pms-wbe/#/hotel/12223) **