Chalon-sur-Saône (Saône-et-Loire). On February 24, Claude Limon, president of the society of friends of the Nicéphore Niépce Museum, warned about the situation of the municipal museum dedicated to the history of photography. “Our museum is suffering. More than twenty-five years ago, the project of a new museum was necessary. (…) And then doubt set in, until he gave up. While we continue to talk about a major project for our museum, all the signals sent are negative: reduction of staff, reduction of operating and acquisition budgets, reduction of the management team. he denounced in a letter sent shortly before the first round of the municipal elections. The election of Gilles Platret (Les Républicains) to a third term as mayor of Chalon-sur-Saône raises questions about the realization of this “big project” launched more than two decades ago with its support, by the former director of the Nicéphore-Niépce Museum, François Cheval (1996-2016), before their relationship deteriorated. The audit carried out for the future of the museum, which Gilles Platret wanted to transform into a city of images, then remained at the study stage.
The project initially consisted of providing the spaces and means necessary for the operation of this institution renowned for its programming, its collections and the reception of photographers’ funds. It has become a sea serpent. In 1995, the mayor at the time, Dominique Perben, declared that he wanted to welcome the National Center for Photographic Heritage to Chalon. His successor Michel Allex wants to bring together, in a former sugar factory, the museum and a group of start-ups linked to image. On the death of the latter, the new mayor of the city, the socialist Christophe Sirugue (2008-2014), estimated that the City did not have the means to finance the cost of creating a museum estimated at 33 million euros, nor to ensure its operation despite the commitment of the State, the Region and the Department.
A manager ousted
In 2011, during the purchase of the site of the former hospital on Saint-Laurent Island, the question of moving the Nicéphore-Niépce Museum arose again, and the studies distinguished the “image city” from the conservation center intended for the museum’s collections. In September 2024, the municipality chose Fannie Escoulen to write the scientific project and set up the steering committee. The profile of the former head of the photography department at the Ministry of Culture allows us to put the Drac (regional directorate for cultural affairs) in Burgundy-Franche-Comté back in the loop. But six months after her appointment, at the end of March 2025, upon submission of her report, her contract was not renewed by the City. Enough to leave you perplexed.
“These files are under study, in reflection and positioning; this means that we are moving forward in hidden time, preparing the proposals which may soon be presented, is justified by email Gilles Platret at Arts Journal shortly after his re-election. With the support of the French Museums service, the City is studying the project to create a preventive conservation center (…), and regarding the Cité de l’image, we are continuing our work with the State and in particular with the Ministry of Culture. » The Drac indicates for its part that it “will study and support the projects that will be proposed to it”, the City having refused the presence of representatives of the Drac in the meetings of the steering committee and having remained deaf to the proposal to bring in Rachida Dati (LR), originally from Chalon-sur-Saône, and at the time Minister of Culture.
From François Cheval to Fannie Escoulen, a proposal was made to opt for the status of EPCC (public establishment for cultural cooperation), in order to allow the municipal museum to control the means of its development. The constant refusal to do so illustrates the political dissensions within the LR party, but also the difficulty for a municipality to involve other public partners in the project. First and foremost Le Grand Chalon, an urban community chaired until November 2025 by Sébastien Martin (LR), who resigned from his post after being appointed Minister Delegate for Industry.
For now, the Nicéphore-Niépce Museum is preparing to celebrate the bicentenary of photography of which it will be one of the epicenters. The City should financially support the event through its exhibitions. The museum nonetheless remains suffering. Between 2016 and 2026, its budget fell from more than 2 million to 1.42 million euros and its number of employees from 46 to 34.
