An area for a new policy welcomed by the public
The exchange of ideas between the architect and Dominique Bozo made it possible to put together a final project for the layout of the museum. The permanent collection was installed in the main section of the building; the areas for temporary events, the 200-to 250-m2 exhibition spaces, and the multipurpose hall with a capacity for 100-120 people were placed in the outbuilding wing and the courtyard.
Conservation, storage, and public/private archival and research activities were split between the second and third floors; technical facilities were assigned to the basement in the garden side. Visitors were to begin their itinerary on the first floor, facing the grand staircase. Paintings, all the sculptures, collages, reliefs, drawings, engravings, and the large and small items that help us understand Picasso or revisit him were showcased on three floors. "You can choose to go see this work or that display cabinet, but you are not forced to focus on the works. You can also give your eyes a rest and enjoy trying to imagine what it is going to be like to experience what you are about to see. That's very important," stated Claude Picasso at the museum's opening. Are this freedom, this relaxed approach to appreciating the work, the main reasons behind the museum's success?
The real success of the Musée Picasso led its team to think about a new, more appropriate policy for approaching its visitors. As the design for the space that had been conceived in 1985 was no longer capable of housing and showcasing the works in the best conditions and no longer complied with more recent regulations, it became increasingly urgent to reconsider the venue's design in depth and recast its scientific and cultural program. Anne Baldassari, who entered the Musée National Picasso as a conservator in 1992 and ended up at its helm as president from 2005 to 2014, has been responsible for reconceving the museum's entire operation. Laurent Le Bon, named president of the museum in June 2014, will allow Ms. Baldassari to curate the initial and much-anticipated hanging of the collection prior to the museum's opening on October 25, 2014.
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Summary