Avignon (Vaucluse). For the Angladon Museum, it is time for reflection. While its financial balance is proving increasingly fragile, the Avignon institution is looking for levers to redress the situation. “Concretely, our activity is in deficit, summarizes Lauren Laz, director of the Angladon-Dubrujeaud Foundation which manages the private museum. For a very long time, the foundation was able to cover this deficit from the income from its capital. But for several years, she has been forced to draw on her initial financial assets (from the legacy of the founders Jean and Paulette Angladon)“. With an operating budget of 800,000 euros (including payroll) and revenues from ticketing and sponsorship which cap at 300,000 euros, the museum has an annual deficit of between 480,000 and 500,00 euros. A balance sheet deemed untenable in the medium term. “With such a status quo, the museum could be forced to close within four years,” believes Lauren Laz.
To restore balance, the museum turns to communities. “Since 2010, the foundation has repeatedly requested support from the public authorities through grant requests, but these requests have never been successful”deplores the director. Only if the establishment receives symbolic support from the Drac Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, of the order of a few hundred euros for the attention of its mediation service. During this election period, Lauren Laz is optimistic about possible support from the City: “Several candidates have expressed interest in the museum. It is also now that everything can be decided. »
Selling a Van Gogh?
At the same time, the foundation is seeking to extend its margins of maneuver by lifting the inalienability clause of its collection, which, in accordance with the testamentary wishes of the founders, prohibits any work from leaving the national territory. In order to review these charges, a legal firm was therefore mandated to refer the matter to the Avignon judicial court. The objective: to allow the museum to lend its works abroad, particularly with a view to the celebrations organized around the centenary of the death of fashion designer Jacques Doucet (1853-1929), whose collection of modern art was bequeathed to the museum. The foundation also takes advantage of this legal process to request authorization to sell, if necessary, a painting. This would probably then be Railway wagons in Arles (1888), by Vincent Van Gogh. “This does not mean that the painting will be sold or that the foundation is willing to sell it, shade Lauren Laz. But if, in four years, no other solution is possible, this is an option that can be activated. »
For the moment, the foundation is placing its hopes in a possible partnership with the Musée d’Orsay, which would offer great visibility to the Avignon museum whose attendance is around 22,000-25,000 visitors per year. “We have been working on this project of scientific and cultural rapprochement between the two institutions for almost four years,” says Lauren Laz. But since the death of Sylvain Amic, former president of the Musée d’Orsay, the project has been on hold.
