His tall silhouette, his faithful Sancho, his Dulcinea, and of course, his famous windmills… More than 4 centuries after his first appearance in the writings of Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote continues to captivate us. An iconic figure, as much literary as popular, he belongs to that group of heroes we know even without having read their stories, so deeply has his image of a dreamer and slightly mad anti-hero anchored itself in our collective imagination. With Don Quixote – A story of madness, a story to laugh about, the Mucem is exploring the comedic and popular aspects of the tale, inviting visitors to a (re)discovery that is poetic and whimsical of this legendary character.
A Knight Against the Wind
After Jean Genet, Jean Giono, and Gustave Flaubert, the museum in Marseille dedicates its 500 square meters of exhibition space J4 to one of the most legendary heroes of the literary genre. Half-mad, half-philosopher, as serious as he is comical, Don Quixote embodies the heroism of failure and the beauty of illusions. His arm...
A ragtag hero with a tall and slender figure, alongside his loyal Sancho Panza, makes for a legendary duo, always ready to battle... against the windmills of reality.See this post on Instagram
The exhibition, Don Quichotte – A Tale of Madness, A Tale to Laugh At, reinterprets this inexhaustible character through more than 200 works: prints, advertisements, magic lanterns, and playing cards from the Mucem collections, as well as editorial and artistic masterpieces resulting from a remarkable collaboration with the National Library.
d’Espagne and supported by numerous prestigious lenders in France as well as abroad. You’ll encounter the visions of Goya, Dalí, Picasso, or Gustave Doré, but also the reinterpretations of cinema by Orson Welles, Terry Gilliam, or Hassen Ferhani, along with music, comics, and other curiosities like puppet theater accessories. It’s proof that the wandering knight still haunts our collective imagination.
The dream continues
Beyond the myth, the exhibition highlights the contemporary vitality of the character. Today, Don Quixote still inspires: the gouaches of Gérard Garouste share the scene with the performance of Abraham Poincheval, who set off to cross Brittany in armor. These modern creations engage in a dialogue with the spirit of the novel, blending impossible quests with absurd poetry.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
To enhance your journey, Mucem presents "The Grotto of Montesinos," an immersive animated film by Claire Ananos. Projected on three walls, this waking dream combines old engravings and animated cutouts in a magic lantern style. You can hear passages from the original text, echoing the distant voice of Cervantes. It’s a sensory dive into the memory and imagination of a hero who, four centuries later, still hasn’t finished telling his legend.
Don Quixote – Story of Madness, Story to Laugh About
Mucem
7, promenade Robert Laffont (esplanade du J4, Gisèle Halimi) 13002 Marseille
From October 15, 2025, to March 30, 2026
More info and ticketing
