It's a reopening that Bordeaux residents have been eagerly awaiting since January 2023. On Wednesday, April 22, the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design welcomed back its visitors on Rue Bouffard, in an atmosphere of grand cultural celebration: a long line stretched all the way to the Dijeaux gate even before opening time, and the main courtyard quickly filled with a large crowd. Mayor Thomas Cazenave, who in his speech recalled "Alain Juppé's impetus" in launching the project, described the event as "a fine example of republican continuity," emphasizing that this undertaking had spanned several terms. This reopening, however, does not mark the complete completion of the work: the opening of the renovated mansion is scheduled for 2027.
A 14 million euro construction project between an 18th-century hotel and a former 19th-century prison
The architectural project, entrusted to the firm Antoine Dufour Architectes, tackled a rare challenge: connecting an 18th-century private mansion and a former 19th-century municipal prison, both listed historical monuments, without erasing their respective identities. The chosen solution is a glass and steel pavilion that joins the two buildings, set back "two centimeters from the edge" of the existing walls to clearly signal the contemporary addition. Stone walls hidden beneath partitions or false ceilings have been exposed, and natural light has been carefully designed to "caress the artworks," according to architect Aymeric Antoine—something he describes as "very rare in a museum." The project represents an investment of over 14 million euros, financed by the City, the State, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region, the European Union, and a private donor. Results: 1,800 m² of exhibition space, more than 500 works restored during the closure, 200 tons of materials reused and a projected 40% reduction in energy consumption.
Three inaugural exhibitions, including a moving tribute to Pauline Deltour
The opening program revolves around three exhibitions. The first, entitled Selected Pieces, presents antique drawings from the collection of Bordeaux gallery owner Jacques Sargos. The second, Ceramics, Sensitive Bodies, brings together 80 pieces from Antiquity to the present day, from a Naqada period vase to contemporary porcelain sculptures. The third, and undoubtedly the most moving, takes over the spaces of the former prison to pay tribute to Pauline Deltour, a French designer who passed away in 2021 at only 38 years old. In her ten-year career, she designed 180 objects for some fifty brands—jewelry, furniture, a bicycle for La Poste (the French postal service), and baskets for Alessi. Her loved ones each chose an object to honor her, often gifts: whimsical sponges brought back from Asia for her father, a children's book chosen by her daughter because she often read it to her. This exhibition, on view until September 21, 2026, combines intimate portraiture and creative trajectory with rare intensity.
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