A new floor has reopened at the Musée départemental de l’Oise

In 2015, the Musée départemental de l’Oise reopened the first floor of the main building of the former bishop’s palace in Beauvais after eighteen years of closure. Today, ten years later, the second floor is finally reopening to visitors. Museums are certainly long-term projects, but sometimes to an excessive degree. Let’s hope that the next phase, which involves installing Renaissance and 18th-century art and ceramics in the side wing, won’t take another ten years. The press release is a little worrying in this respect, daring to write that the museum "has fully reopened its doors on 22 March 2025" and that "this event has crowned two major projects". A crowning achievement implies that a project has been completed, which is not the case: we are still a long way from a "fully reopened" museum. Its director, Alexandre Estaquet-Legrand, seems determined to speed things up, and we hope that his governing body will follow his excellent lead.

1. Former bishop’s palace in Beauvais, now the Musée départemental de l’Oise
Photo: Didier Rykner

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That said, fortunately, it should be noted that, as with the 19th-century museography, the 20th-century section on the second floor is very successful. It is, moreover, a classic 20th century, as it mainly concerns Symbolism, Art Nouveau and Art Deco, or what could be described as moderate modernism, most of which falls entirely within the scope of La Tribune de l’Art.

2. France, 19th century
Procession in Spain (?)
Oil on canvas - 114 x 170 cm
Beauvais, Musée départemental de l’Oise
Photo: MUDO

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Those who wish to learn more about the vicissitudes of this museum and its complicated history will find the very comprehensive article that Jacques Foucart wrote about it on the occasion of its reopening in 2015 very informative. While the museography of the 19th-century collections has remained virtually unchanged, there are a few new additions…