Maison Picassiette, Folk art museum in Chartres, France
The Maison Picassiette is a house in Chartres where nearly every interior and exterior surface is covered with mosaics made from fragments of plates, cups, bottles, and other discarded materials. The wall coverings, floors, ceilings, and even garden furniture form a complete artistic environment where almost no space remains undecorated.
Raymond Isidore, a cemetery worker, built and decorated this house between 1928 and 1960, transforming everyday materials he found into a major artistic creation. His work demonstrates how one person with modest means could build a singular artistic environment over several decades.
The mosaics display religious symbols, the Chartres cathedral, and other French landmarks, showing how the builder wove his faith and connection to his region into his artistic expression. These choices reveal how personal attachments and local places shaped one person's creative vision.
The house is open to visitors and offers guided tours that explain the construction techniques and materials used. It helps to move slowly through the rooms to appreciate the mosaic details, since every corner holds something different to discover.
The artist gathered his materials for years from a nearby cemetery and local building sites around Chartres. This daily search for usable fragments became the foundation of his entire creative practice.
Location: Chartres
Inception: 1928
Architects: Raymond Isidore
Architectural style: visionary environment
GPS coordinates: 48.44222,1.50694
Latest update: December 6, 2025 16:02
France hosts monuments that go beyond common tourist routes. Individual creations like Ferdinand Cheval's Palais Idéal in Hauterives, built stone by stone over 33 years, sit alongside architectural reconversions like the Molitor Pool in Paris or the Contemporary Art Museum set in a 17th-century manor in Saint-Romain-au-Mont-d'Or. These sites reflect unique stories and urban transformations worth exploring. This selection includes themed museums dedicated to magic in Blois, mechanical instruments at La Borde, fairground arts in Paris, and firefighters in Montville. It also features total art works like the Maison Picassiette in Chartres, entirely decorated with ceramic mosaics, and the Robert Tatin Museum in Cossé-le-Vivien. From Montmartre cemetery where Degas and Zola are buried to works by self-taught artists, these monuments offer different perspectives on French heritage and deserve a visit to explore lesser-known facets of the territory.
The Centre-Val de Loire showcases a diverse heritage, from medieval fortresses like Château de Lavardin to Renaissance structures. The region features protected natural sites such as the Chérine Nature Reserve and the Domaine du Ciran, which host hundreds of bird species in their ponds and woodlands. The Savonnières Pétrifiantes Caves illustrate local geological phenomena, while the Briare Canal Bridge demonstrates 19th-century engineering. This selection also includes historical and cultural sites, from the Dunois Mill preserving 17th-century mechanisms to the Marcel Proust Museum housed in an authentic residence. The Picassiette House in Chartres exhibits Raymond Isidore's unique work over several decades. The Parc Floral de la Source and the Saint-Ours Collegiate complete this exploration combining Gothic religious architecture with themed gardens, providing diverse discoveries accessible to visitors.
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