Since the closure of the Parisian Hébert Museum in 2004, the Fondation de France (site manager) and the meeting of national museums (owner of the building) had entrusted the museum’s collections to the Museum of Orsay. The finalization of the legal agreements with regard to the revision of the legacy will allow the transfer of 20,000 documents relating to Ernest Hébert from the Musée d’Orsay to the Hébert Museum, located in La Tronche, in Isère. At the end of several years of negotiations, 239 paintings, 1,890 graphic works, 496 decorative art objects, 2,400 photographs, 49 sculptures, 10,000 archive pieces and 4,000 books will join the only museum entirely dedicated to the artist.
The discussions initiated for 4 years between the Department of Isère and the various institutions resulted in 2023, the year when the Foundation of France, the Musée d’Orsay and the Department have formalized their agreement. The transfer required the revision of the legacy of the works, now validated. In 2027, the collection will be temporarily deposited in the shared reserve of the department, in Saint-Martin-d’Hères, which will bring together the funds of the twelve departmental museums. The operation should be completed in 2028.
The Ernest Hébert National Museum in Paris was created in 1978 following a donation from René Patris d’Uckermann, descendant of the painter’s wife. Closed in 2004 for non-compliance with safety standards, he was also the victim of fragmented management between several entities, slowing conservation and transfer operations.
The Hébert de la Tronche museum, the former summer residence of the artist who had become a private museum for a time by his wife in 1934, plans to expand in order to accommodate the collection. An additional 800 m² space must be delivered by 2029-2030. This extension also responds to an increase in attendance: between 2023 and 2024, the museum doubled its number of visitors, from 28,000 to 56,000 annual visitors. The departmental museum will receive the financing of part of the project thanks to the sale of the old Parisian building, estimated between 5 and 8 million euros.
Born in Grenoble in 1817, Ernest Hébert died at La Tronche in 1908. He was notably known for his portraits of the aristocracy under the Second Empire and his compositions influenced by Italy. He was twice director of the Academy of France in Rome. An exhibition dedicated to his wife, Gabrielle Hébert, photographer and painter, will be organized in October 2025 at the Musée d’Orsay, in partnership with the Hébert Museum.
