In the fall of 2026, Belfort will inaugurate an art museum intended to make its collections visible: 204 works of modern art, more than 6,900 works of fine art and 10,700 historical objects. The first stone was laid on October 27, 2023. Around the Maurice-Jardot villa, the ensemble will combine a contemporary building of 915 m², a suspended space of 40 m² for graphic arts and an underground gallery connecting the old and new museum.
For nearly 25 years, the collections were distributed between several sites: the Maurice-Jardot villa, Tower 41 and various exhibition venues. The whole will bring together modern art, fine arts and temporary exhibitions over approximately 1,000 m², including 318 m² for the permanent exhibition and 316 m² for temporary exhibitions. Around 150 works of fine art and 90 of modern art will be visible continuously, the rest will be presented on a rotating basis. The route will cover a period ranging from the Renaissance to contemporary art, bringing together Dürer, Courbet, Doré, Picasso, Léger, Masson and artists linked to the region, François-Joseph Heim, René Prinet, André Villers.
At the heart of the permanent exhibition room, a suspended wooden cube will host short-term exhibitions devoted to works on paper. Drawings, watercolors and engravings will be presented there in rotation several times a year, for short exhibitions. The graphic arts office will place at the center of the route a collection of nearly 1,500 drawings and 3,000 engravings, long relegated to storage.
To preserve the integrity of the Maurice-Jardot villa, the connection with the extension will be via an underground passage of around thirty meters, transformed into a photographic gallery. The André Villers donation – more than 600 photographs – will constitute a central collection. The space will also be able to host exhibitions combining local archives and contemporary photography.
The building, designed by the A. Scaranello agency, is located in the Émile-Lechten square, enlarged by approximately 1,000 m², and opens onto a 950 m² square connecting the old and new museums. The green-tinted concrete favors insertion into the landscape rather than a visible architectural gesture. The interior organization will be based on a central circular space distributing the exhibition rooms, educational spaces and the underground connection.
The basement will house an air handling unit powered by 18 geothermal probes at a depth of approximately 230 meters. The device will continuously regulate temperature and humidity in order to ensure the conservation of the works and meet the requirements of lending museums. It will be sized to absorb variations in attendance.
The cost amounts to 8.8 million euros excluding taxes. The city finances 2,871,900 euros, the rest coming from the Burgundy-Franche-Comté Region (2,190,000 euros), the FEDER (2,000,000 euros), the DRAC (900,000 euros), Grand Belfort (600,000 euros), and the department (200,000 euros).
