National Museum Clemenceau

Designed to give the opportunity to begin a new narrative, the new National museum Clemenceau seeks to uncover both its original and current purpose.

The concept proposes contemporary interventions with minimum visual compromise to the building’s original appearance. From one perspective, the architecture follows, both in compositional and museological terms, the traditional, domestic character of a house. Its essence and rustic materials are preserved, the stone is brushed, the framework is cleaned, leaving ample space for the museography. The new elements are interwoven into the visitor’s path to activate a unique experience, following the rhythm of the existing architecture. To create a link with the community, the adjacent barn is reconstructed to add new programmatic opportunities for concerts, screenings and exhibitions. The gardens, a key element in the museum’s concept, are revived and actively integrated into the scheme, creating a link to the adjacent building. The museum reveals a new perspective on how history and architecture would benefit from each other’s challenges, unveiling the real substance of the building to its visitors, and, through its informal learning opportunities, giving a new vantage point on history and present times.

The light is moderated to meet specific curatorial requirements, while the scenography, staircase and elevator highlight the robust materials, allowing the visitor to focus on the collections in an unobtrusive architectural environment. The contemporary concrete floor suggests the heavy modification that was carried out, simultaneously creating a uniform ambience. The museography follows the life and work of Georges Clemenceau, spreading the exhibition spaces on the two levels of the house. The traditional furniture is reinterpreted in the form of pedagogical showcases-objects, while multimedia devices illustrate the links between Georges Clemenceau’s story and our present society.