The Augustinian Museum begins its metamorphosis

Toulouse (Haute-Garonne). It is a refined section of wall, stamped with the museum’s new logo, which now contrasts with the brick architecture so characteristic of the Pink City. Mayor Jean-Luc Moudenc defends this new entry, resolutely contemporary, with conviction: “ It is a building which has provoked debate, but it is an innovation which is part of a tradition”that of the noble entrances in white Dordogne stone which punctuate the town. Designed by the Portuguese agency Aires Mateus, the new reception pavilion calls out and announces the new turning point of the Augustinian Museum: that of a more modern, more accessible place. No more need to go through a small steep staircase to discover the collections, you now just have to follow a gentle slope to access the ticket office and discover the museum’s brand new store.

“Improving accessibility is one of the reasons which motivated the closure of the place, the other being the restoration of the glass roofs at the level of the lounges, which were designed in the 19the century according to the plans of Viollet-le-Duc »specifies Laure Dalon, the director of the museum. From 2017, a first phase was launched to rehabilitate these glass roofs which, over time, have become opaque and have lost their waterproofing. But it was only two years later, in the spring of 2019, that the museum closed its doors to the public to begin its interior accessibility. Installation of two elevators, installation of ramps and backlit handrails, etc., before the complete overhaul of the tour route and its scenography (by the Scénografiá agency). The project thus amounts to 25 million euros, 95% financed by the City (to which are added the participations of the Drac and the Region).

“I wanted the museum’s collections to occupy the grounds, to make no apologies for being there, continues Laure Dalon. The idea was to invest more in the spaces, including those of circulation. So to ensure that the visit route is never interrupted, that each time we push a door, we have a feeling, an emotion, that something is happening. » In an upstairs landing, sculptures by Auguste Rodin, Antoine Bourdelle and Camille Claudel take their place alongside several bas-reliefs. In the elevator lobby, the space is taken over by the artist Flora Moscovici (born in 1985) who transforms this airlock into a colorful color chart. And those who opt for the staircase now climb it to the sound of a light installation designed by Pablo Valbuena (born in 1978).

A redesigned scenography

In this new route, which does not impose a precise path, the dialogue between ancient art and contemporary art therefore becomes more significant. On the ground floor, the colorful lamps by Jorge Pardo (born in 1963) (see ill.) still overlook the exceptional collection of Romanesque capitals from the 12th century, restored for the occasion. “If the Romanesque room has been refreshed, it is above all the scenography of the lounges upstairs which has been completely redesigned”, adds Laure Dalon. Neither a grand architectural gesture, nor extensive hanging, but a new selection and arrangement of the works presented. In the green room, new picture rails sequence the space, dividing up historical paintings, portraits, still lifes… In the red room, it is a white cube which serves as a more intimate setting for small and medium formats from the late 19th – early 20th century – signed Berthe Morisot, Vuillard and Toulouse-Lautrec -, at the time exhibited in a small room now devoted to temporary hangings.

The project to create a more substantial temporary space is not yet on track. “ I am campaigning for this to be a space developed in situ. Volumes could be invested in the wing on the rue des Arts side. But it is a project which would only take place in a second phase, after the complete reopening of the museum. indicates Laure Dalon. And for good reason, the construction site is not yet completed: the northern and eastern areas of the museum remain inaccessible for the moment. Three rooms – the “Gothic rooms” – should reopen in June 2026, then the museum church, a former temporary exhibition space, will join the permanent exhibition at the end of next year, after restoration. In these parts will be displayed paintings and sculptures from the Toulouse Renaissance, portraits from the 17th century and large format paintings.

But the major heritage project remains that of the great cloister – the only 14th century cloister to be completely preserved in the south-west of France –, the restoration of which will mark the end of the work in spring 2027. If the place reopens to visitors, it is still partly under cover. Since November 2024, interventions have been carried out on its roofs, walls and electrical network. Under the supervision of Bernard Voinchet (W-Architectures agency), the restorers are now working on cleaning the 160 columns and capitals which, thanks to the laser technique, will gradually regain their original whiteness.

The Augustins Museum, a place steeped in history

Founded almost 250 years ago, the Musée des Augustins is one of the oldest museums in France. Its site: a former medieval convent, built from 1310 to accommodate the mendicant order of the Hermits of Saint-Augustin within the walls of Toulouse. Although the community housed up to 200 monks in the 14th and 15th centuries, the order gradually weakened, a decline aggravated by the sack of the convent in 1542 and then by damage caused by lightning in 1550. Under the French Revolution, the place experienced a turning point: having become a national property, the convent was decommissioned in 1790. The Museum du Midi de la République was then established there in 1793, shortly after the inauguration of the Louvre, before opening to the public in 1795. In the 19th century, new interventions redesigned the site, which was notably equipped with a new wing designed by Viollet-le-Duc. Several restoration and development projects were undertaken after the Second World War, leading to the reopening of a transformed museum in 1980.