One year later, the renovation of the Fondation Bemberg

A very fine collection — regularly enriched with new masterpieces — in an exceptional architectural setting, backed by comfortable financial means: for the Fondation Bemberg, all signs seemed positive, and it was with confidence that we awaited its reopening after four years of renovation. In February 2024, visitors were once again admitted into the Hôtel d’Assézat, but there is no doubt that the experience was a harsh one for regulars, who struggled to recognize the place. The institution clearly chose a break with the former museum, which was evidently deemed obsolete, but such a transformation is often painful. It is difficult to deny that the old museography could easily have seemed outdated, even though we are not the sort to fuss over wall hangings or floor carpets. Let us hope, at least, that not everything was discarded, despite the declared intention to wipe the slate clean of this place’s past, inaugurated in 1995 but already refreshed in 2004!

In any case, it was certainly possible to offer a more appropriate tribute to Georges Bemberg at the entrance than this surprising frieze on a tilted table (ill. 1) followed by a portrait of the collector already leaning on an easel. In 2004, at the occasion of the first reopening after renovation, several rooms underwent rearrangement, discussed in an article from La Dépêche, where Philippe Cros, director of the Fondation Bemberg from 1995 to 2021, rejoiced in having redecorated part of the first floor — upholstering it in blue fabrics — “in order to present the collections in an environment that resembles as closely as possible the apartment of Georges Bemberg”! The philosophy has thus evolved greatly over twenty years, with the laudable aim of gaining brightness and sobriety in the galleries.

After an initially rather cold welcome (ill. 2) — marked by sometimes absurd instructions, such as brand-new lockers remaining inaccessible throughout 2024 in the name of the Vigipirate plan (ill. 3), even though that plan did not hinder proper cloakroom functioning at Musée Paul Dupuy [1] — visitors rediscovered the spaces, still spread across two levels.
A chronological approach remains indeed the best way to grasp the collection that unfolds on the first floor, for works from the 16th to the 18th century — a somewhat scholarly path but rich in treasures whose provenance is unfortunately seldom indicated: wall labels and exhibition texts are sparse with information (ill. 4 and 5) and remain weak points in the visitor route, with only the most important pieces receiving commentary via the audioguide. This situation seems…