"(...) women have always shaped art history, and most institutions have simply failed to show it."
Combining heritage and cultural commitment, FAMM (Femmes artistes du Musée de Mougins) is the only museum outside the United States to house a permanent collection dedicated to women.
Situated in the heart of Mougins, a village steeped in history and inspiration where art is an integral part of the landscape, the museum pursues an ambitious mission initiated by the philanthropist Christian Levett : to shed new light on women artists and their contribution to the history of art.
For over a century, artists have been drawn to the town of Mougins. Picasso spent the last twelve years of his life here, with other creatives such as Coco Chanel and Fernand Léger finding similar inspiration through the village’s quiet streets and Mediterranean charm.
It is this legacy that drew philanthropist and art collector Christian Levett to the village, where he first opened Mougins Museum of Classical Art in 2011.
Over three decades of collecting, Levett became increasingly concerned with the lack of recognition for women artists, after finishing a classic of art history and wondering, “but where are the women?”
In 2018, he dedicated his Florentine Palazzo to works by women artists and from 2021 began to host private tours.
His commitment to this cause developed in 2024, as he transformed the classical museum into FAMM (Femmes Artistes Musée Mougins).
FAMM is the only museum outside the United States with a permanent collection dedicated exclusively to women artists, bringing something distinctly unique to the French Riviera landscape.
The museum demonstrates the breadth of Levett’s collection, as well as the scale of women’s contribution to the art world since the nineteenth century. The display is regularly rotated, with approximately 100 works by 90 artists shown across four floors.
The collection unfolds chronologically, beginning with the Impressionists with names such as Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt who depicted a domestic, feminine portrayal of modern life that paralleled the interests of their male counterparts.
Then, the world of the Surrealists is unveiled, with highlights such as Leonor Fini’s In the Tower (Self Portrait with Constantin Jelenski), acquired for a record price in 2025, where she depicts a portrait of her and her lover through a deliberate inversion of gendered roles.
The first floor is dedicated to the New York scene of Abstract Expressionism, drawing attention to women artists such as Elaine de Kooning, Sonia Gechtoff and Pat Passlof who exhibited alongside names such as Pollock and Rothko, yet were denied the same lasting legacy.
The second floor is devoted to representations of figuration and portraiture.
The visit then culminates with a collection of the leading women artists of the 21st century, with notable names such as Tracey Emin and Jenny Saville, both of whom are currently the subject of major institutional exhibitions.
FAMM also hosts an annual winter exhibition, made to highlight one contemporary woman artist. This project, curated by major collector and dealer Simon de Pury, further draws attention to women artists. This mission of visibility is not limited to Mougins; the Levett collection contributes to an extensive loan programme with leading institutions such as Tate Modern, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Centre Pompidou, demonstrating FAMM’s overall goal towards the recognition of established and emerging women artists.
In just over two years, FAMM has reshaped how Mougins is read as a cultural destination, and has become an important Côte d’Azur cultural landmark.
It is this ambition that Magrey & Sons has chosen to support through its partnership with the museum.
A commitment that reflects a shared focus on passing on knowledge, on heritage, and on the people who shape the cultural richness of the Côte d’Azur.
