In 2021, as part of an extensive campaign to renovate and extend its reserves, the museum will be engaged in updating and reviewing documentation of its collections.

Landscape, history and imagination constitute the three broad themes of art collected at Rochechouart since 1985 and today the museum holds 470 works made between the 1960s and the present. In addition to its contemporary collection, the museum also houses a major donation of 800 works by Raoul Hausmann. Consequently the museum inventory totals 1270 works of art, all of which can be accessed through the online database.

Museums with the label “Musées de France” proceed with a systematic renewal of information on their collections every ten years and this is the job our teams at Rochechouart have set in motion this year.  Every work must undergo verification, checking its state of conservation, localisation, catalogue entries, storage details and where relevant, adding updates to any documentary information such as archival reports, background research and inclusion in other catalogues.

Reviewing processes are an essential part in the life of any collection, vital in ensuring thorough knowledge and proper conservation of all the works. Normally such functions take place behind closed doors, invisible to the public. This year, in order to give a clearer picture of how a museum functions, you can witness yourself activities such as recent restorations of works and follow the teams’ progress as it happens behind the scenes.

For this first chapter, the museum has made the choice of a performative entry by presenting artworks about movement and displacement of the body.