The Museum in the 21st century – ‘Architecture in Motion’ Conferences

Bernard Desmoulin studied architecture under the glass roof of the Grand Palais in Paris, before being admitted as a boarder at Villa Medicis in Rome in 1984. Winner of the Albums of Young Architects and Landscapers, he won the architecture and art competition for the Necropolis of Fréjus, which allowed him to create his agency in 1990. Winner of the Prix de l’Equerre d’Argent in 2009 for the Conservatory Léo Delibes in Clichy and the silver medal of the Academy of Architecture in 2000, he was elected a member of the Academy of Fine Arts in 2018.

Among his references, many cultural facilities in remarkable sites reflect both his contemporary and respectful consideration of the history of these places: Rodin Museum, Cluny Abbey, Grand Commun Palace of Versailles, Port-Royal des Champs Abbey and National Museum, etc. This year, Bernard Desmoulin completed the new reception area of the Cluny Museum in the center of Paris before restructuring its circulations and museography.

Bernard Desmoulin’s series of conferences in China will discuss the role, structure and philosophy that should be considered when approaching the architecture of museums nowadays.

Should the museum building today appear as a mere “shell”, serving as a minimalist receptacle for the exhibits on display? Or should the architectural structure, on the contrary, become a piece of art in its own right, at the risk of interfering with the collections presented? These two questions illustrate the importance of architecture in a museum project and the necessary reflection that needs to be carried out upstream.

The evolution of museum architecture gives us an insight into the issues that have arisen throughout the history of museums, their role in the space where they are located, the evolution of their public, and the values they must convey.

From a “temple museum” during the Age of Enlightenment, witness of the ancient times and restricted to a small elite, the museum today is considered more as a public space, a place of culture and sometimes of topical debate, accessible to the greatest number, a “forum museum” in a way. The museum building in the 21st century must take into account these evolutions; the museum building can be seen as a place of mediation, meetings, but also of learning and leisure.