Passion for butterflies
The Butterfly House in Saint-Tropez is in its entirety an original work by the passionate painter Dany Lartigue. A unique approach to lepidopterology, the study of butterflies. Both metaphysically and scientifically, this museum is a unique place in the world.
The museum was created by Dany Lartigue with the aim of sharing his fascination and love of butterflies with the public. Here visitors can experience the diversity of butterflies from local and tropical regions.
The museum presents a collection of more than 35,000 beautiful specimens, fulfilling an aesthetic, educational and scientific role at the same time. The butterflies are presented in a unique way, as they are mounted in landscapes that the artist has painted beforehand. This makes the butterflies appear almost as if they were in their natural biotope and habitat.
In addition to all the species found in France, this magnificent collection also includes specimens of exotic, endangered and extremely rare butterfly species, such as the Black Apollo from the Mercantour area in the mountains north of Nice, and species from the Amazon and Solomon Islands.
The collection is of great scientific and educational interest and is visited by many school children and academics every year. Entomologists from all over the world have expressed their enthusiasm for the Butterfly House in Saint-Tropez, with public interest increasing year on year.
To future-proof the Maison des Papillons, Dany Lartigue donated it to the city, which now runs the museum and continues to develop and maintain the collections.
See opening hours and prices on the museum website.
By Tommy Sverre – updated 2025
