Reopening

of the Musée National

de la Marine
Palais de Chaillot, Trocadéro, Paris
Inauguration in November 2023

Pre-Press Kit
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part 1
The Musée
National de la Marine:
a contemporary maritime hotspot p.02

part 2
The new Musée National
de la Marine in Paris p.06
A reinvented visitor journey, from
discoveries of masterpieces to immersion
in the sea and its challenges p.08
The Stopovers: the collection’s treasures
Construction and Instruction: ship models p.11

Finding One’s Way on the Sea: the arts of navigation p.13

Representing Power: Maritime Carving p.15

Painting for the King: Vernet’s

Views of France’s Ports p.16

The Crossings: maritime challenges past,

present and future
Le Havre: a Gateway to Consumption p.19

Storms and shipwrecks p.22

France as a naval power: history and innovations p.25

Engaged, vibrant cultural programming

focusing on the sea, its adventures
and innovations p.28
A museum for everyone p.30

part 3
A large-scale project for
an outstanding museum p.34
The architectural project p.36
The scenographic project p.42
The collections review p.44
The renovation project
in figures and dates p.46
Contributors to the renovation p.48

part 4
The institution p.50
The history of the Musée National de la Marine p.52
A museum constituted as a network p.54

Sponsors and partners p.56

Practical information
and contact p.57
 1
the Musée
National de la Marine:
a contemporary
maritime hotspot

1_

The Musée National de la Marine possesses one of the world’s finest and oldest
collections, tracing 250 years of French maritime and naval stories. With sites in
Brest, Paris, Port-Louis, Rochefort and Toulon, it is a museum of art and history,
science and technology, human adventure and popular traditions all in one.

In an era when maritime issues are making headline news more than ever before
(economy, environment, geopolitics, sciences, etc.), the Musée National de la
© AdobeStock Marine has reinvented itself to become a museum of society, up to date with the
times, a place for exchanges and encounters, a forum for the great questions
arising on our blue planet.

Maritime cultural heritage, tangible and intangible alike (lighthouses, ports, ships,
treasures of underwater archaeology, traditions, songs, dances, legends, etc.), is a
2_

1_The Palais de Chaillot © Musée national de la Marine/Maurine Tric

2_"Representing Power: Maritime Carving" Stopover © Casson Mann
powerful lever for raising awareness on present and future ocean issues. As a key
actor in such heritage, the Musée National de la Marine has a duty to preserve
this common good of humanity and share its treasures with as many people as
possible.

2 3
 Humankind’s history,
past and contemporary
alike, is connected with
To this end, the Museum seeks to become a venue that sparks wonder that of the oceans. And
and curiosity and passes on knowledge, familiarising the public with our
country’s maritime aspects, the source of so many vocations; a venue which it is through new ways of
communicates the love for the sea by embodying the words of seafarers past,
present and future. spotlighting our treasures
The major construction project at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris was the
that we are going to be
first step in the institution’s transformation into a museum of the future. In addressing all present-
autumn 2023, the doors will open on a vibrant museum with an innovative,
multisensory visitor journey providing an unforgettable emotional and day maritime topics.
educational experience. A place that will be an anchor and meeting point
in Paris, dedicated to present-day maritime issues. A place designed for all
In this venue, agile yet
audiences and ages, from novices to those with a longstanding fascination for anchored in its collections The Musée National de la
the sea and all things maritime. A committed, participatory place, opening up
minds to the universal message that "the sea is humanity’s future". and in direct contact Marine has undergone
with today’s maritime a comprehensive
and naval worlds, a new transformation in order
generation of museums is to prepare itself for the
emerging – a generation upcoming creation of the
The new Musée National ‘Great Maritime Museum
that combines past and
de la Marine :
present with intelligence of the 21st century’.
A Museum open to the high seas and all
questions related to the sea, making it a and pertinence, in order to This cultural hotspot that
powerful tool for raising awareness of
our planet’s maritime challenges and put them at the service of our country needs so much
understanding of the world around us.
A Museum that builds bridges: a bridge the future. ” will be worthy of its history
in the heart of Paris between Land and Sea,
a bridge between history and legend, Vincent Campredon,
and vocation: it will be
a bridge between past and future, a bridge
between wakefulness and dreams.
General Commissioner
in the French Navy.
nothing less than France’s
A Museum that tells stories, stories of the
navy, of sea and sailors, with its heroes and
Director of the Musée
National de la Marine.
maritime soul.
its legends.
Olivier Poivre d'Arvor,
A living Museum, which carries emotions
Ambassador for the Poles
and knowledge, an invitation to set sail.
and Maritime Issues.
A venue for research and a crossroads for
Chairman of the Musée
scientific exchanges open to the world,
National de la Marine’s Board
conducting international outreach.
of Directors.
An interactive, immersive Museum that
makes full use of the most innovative
technologies.

4 5
© Casson Mann
 2
the new Musée
National de la Marine
in Paris

1_

Housed in the Palais de Chaillot, Place du Trocadéro, the sea and sailors. Inviting visitors to sail the
the Musée National de la Marine will be reopening oceans, the Museum is an emotional and educational
its doors in November 2023. From cultural project to experience all in one, a powerful tool for raising
architecture, from museography to visitor journey, awareness among all sectors of the public about our
everything has been rethought from top to bottom. planet’s maritime challenges.
Vibrant and interactive, the Museum makes ample
use of the most innovative technologies. A crossroads for scientific exchanges open to the world
at large, it carries France’s international reputation.
The Musée National de la Marine in Paris is one of With new organisation of its exhibits and areas,
the most recent of the great French museums to be and the scenography adapted to the expectations
renovated, and the latest on the Palais de Chaillot of a constantly evolving audience, the Museum has
site. With its own remarkable history and unparalleled consolidated its place among the leading maritime
2_
collection, begun in 1748, it tells stories of the navy, museums in Europe and across the world.
1_Visitors begin their voyage across the new Museum’s exhibition areas through an entrance in the shape
of a stylised ship’s prow © Casson Mann
2_The new Museum, entrance to the exhibition areas © h2o architectes and Snøhetta

7
A reinvented visitor journey, The visit begins with a stylised life-sized ship's prow, which visitors enter. They are immediately plunged into an
immersive marine environment, by means of a film projected onto a large hemispherical screen overlooking them,
from discoveries which depicts the sea from multiple viewpoints: underwater, on the surface, and from the air.

of masterpieces
The visitor journey is designed to resemble a sea voyage, taking in
to immersion in the sea four "Stopovers" and three "Crossings".
and its challenges
The Stopovers hold the Museum’s flagship objects The Crossings highlight three themes relating to
and the treasures of its collection: maritime challenges past, present and future:

Construction and Instruction: ship models Le Havre: a Gateway to Consumption

Museum must-sees, these scale models of ships bear witness Many of our everyday products get to us by sea. Here, starting
to a variety of uses, including instruction of future naval in Le Havre and surrounded by containers, visitors acquaint
officers and marine engineers. A comprehensive panorama themselves with the countless port activities and their actors,
is on display, from toy boats to imposing models almost 5 consumption shipping routes and offshore energies, along
metres long! with leisure activities and watersports. The Crossing also
sheds light on passenger transport.
The Museum visitor journey is organised History, fine arts, science and technology and Finding One’s Way on the Sea: the arts of navigation
thematically, making its way through several folk tradition… The Museum covers numerous How did sailors get their bearings at sea before modern Shipwrecks and Storms
technologies? By means of charts, compasses and lighthouse Set in the heart and upstream and downstream of a huge wave
galleries presenting over 1,000 items, all restored fields thanks to its collection’s typological
lenses, etc., this area focuses on the evolution of navigation that visitors are invited to enter, this area provides visitors
thanks to major work carried out during the diversity: scientific and technical, military, and instruments, from the first ocean charts to the Galileo satellite. with a sensory experience of some of the sea’s more fearsome
seven years that the Paris site was closed. archaeological and ethnographic objects, along aspects. It addresses such questions as solidarity in the face
with models, photographs, sculptures, paintings, Representing Power: Maritime Carving of its dangers, through testimonies, monumental works and
objects recovered from famous shipwrecks by means of
graphic arts, decorative arts and fabrics. With an extraordinarily varied repertoire to choose from, ship
decoration had aesthetic, technical and political uses alike. underwater archaeological techniques and operations.
Surrounded by impressive figureheads, visitors are led to
acquaint themselves with an outstanding example of sculpted France as a naval power: history and innovations
decoration floating above a radiant oculus. The Réale, an Through stories of ships and sailors, the diversity of their
ambassador galley for the Sun King’s aspirations, is one of professional skills and knowhow, this gallery helps visitors
the Museum’s masterpieces. understand the National Navy’s role and missions, and the
development of France’s war fleet from the 17th century
Painting for the King: Vernet's Views of France’s Ports to the present day. There is a special focus on tactical and
This series of fifteen large-format paintings, thirteen of which technological innovations and inventions.
are exhibited at the Museum, depicts France’s ports in the
second half of the 18th century and constitutes an outstanding
STOPOVER CROSSING STOPOVER CROSSING STOPOVER ORIENTATION AREA VISITORS’ ENTRANCE
piece of heritage. A political tool at the service of royal power,
"NAVAL SCULPTURE
AND THE RÉALE" "SHIPWRECKS AND STORMS"
"FINDING
ONE’S WAY "MARITIME ECONOMY" "THE MODELS"
these paintings/panoramas are remarkable artworks in
ON THE SEA"
which everyday scenes of maritime and port life highlight the
thriving activity that French ports enjoyed at the time.

STOPOVER "VERNET" CROSSING "FRANCE AS A NAVAL POWER AND INNOVATIONS"

Ensuring that the Museum is a real living environment, complementary areas foster encounters and exchanges: a gallery
devoted to temporary exhibitions, a news area in which all major contemporary maritime topics are exhibited and discussed,
The new visitor journey © Casson Mann
an auditorium, a members’ lounge and seminar rooms, along with a book and gift shop and a restaurant.

8 9
 The Stopovers:
the collection’s treasures

Stopover:

Construction and Instruction: ship models

In 1748, Henri Louis Duhamel du Monceau gave King Louis XV his
exceptional collection of model ships. It was a gift that led to the creation
of the Musée National de la Marine. In order to reflect the diversity of
the Museum’s current collection, models are organised thematically,
depending on their function as technical, sociocultural, scientific and
recreational objects.

Objets of technical interest: from shipbuilding to officer training

Models have had a variety of technical functions over the course of history.
Some are directly connected with the shipbuilding process, such as the
half-hulls used by shipwrights from the early 18th century onwards. Others
keep the memory of bygone naval architectural techniques alive, such as
the framework models that accurately depict a ship’s internal structure.
Stopover "Construction and instruction: ship models" © Casson Mann / LMNB Very large-scale instructional models had a more
educational purpose and were used for training the
Navy’s shipbuilders and future officers. These days, they
"SILLAGE DE MER", are invaluable sources of information for shipbuilding
THE MUSEUM’S OLFACTORY SIGNATURE
historians.
The Museum has developed an innovative project in order The model of the Royal Louis was restored thanks to the support of the
to make the visit a real sensory experience inspired by Association of Friends of the Musée National de la Marine (AAMM), associate
the ocean: the creation of a maritime olfactory signature renovation sponsor.
exclusively designed by Nathalie Lorson, Master Perfumer
at Firmenich, in collaboration with Studio Magique.
The "Sillage de Mer" fragrance, disseminated in the
Objects for play
reception areas, was created in symbiosis with the new
architecture’s uncluttered, fluid lines, with a view to Model boats have played a part in children’s water
cutting visitors off from the outside world and fostering games for centuries. The development of the mechanical
their total immersion in the world of the sea. engineering industry in the 19th century eventually led
A paean to the power of the ocean, it represents an idea to mass production of a wide range of toy boats, sold in
of the open sea’s infinity, the sea in motion, evoking sea departments stores. Ocean liners, ironclads, barges and
breezes and salt-laden spray with mineral notes. The
sailboats ploughed the waters side by side on ponds
perfume is composed of French seaweeds combined with
synthetic materials, some of which are derived from green in public gardens. Equipped with mechanical means
chemistry with 20% upcycled ingredients. of propulsion, whether steam or electric, they have
At the end of their visit, visitors can make their way to continued to be reinvented up to the present day, inviting
the Museum’s book and gift shop and treat themselves to their proud owners to dream and imagine.
a fragment of the sea to take home with them: a bisque-
fired ceramic accompanied by the olfactory signature in
a dropper bottle, LHC and PGI labelled and 100% made in
France.

The model of the Royal Louis © Musée national de la Marine/Cyril Semenoff-Tian-Chansky

 The Stopovers:
the collection’s treasures

Stopover:
Objects of scientific interest: from archaeology to testing hypotheses Finding One’s Way on the Sea: the arts of navigation
Models are sometimes put at the service of science as documentary During this second Stopover, visitors discover the art of navigation and
sources and research instruments. Those discovered during archaeological getting one's bearings at sea, an art that has been handed down since
excavations are used to study bygone naval architectures and maritime the dawn of humanity. Sailors observe sky, sea and coastline in order
societies. Some are made in order to test out research hypotheses, such as to evade danger and reach port safely. To find their way, they once used
how rowers were seated on board ancient galleys. This method of studying a chart, a pencil, a ruler and a pair of compasses; these days it is a
the history of techniques is still used in archaeology. And finally, others can
1_
mobile GPS screen. These instruments are remarkable technical and
preserve evidence of fast disappearing non-European maritime practices. scientific objects; the care and precision involved in their manufacture
Such is the case with the unique collection amassed by Admiral Pâris in the
bear witness to outstanding knowhow.
late 19th century as the result of his ethnographic investigations.
Signposting danger at sea
Objects of sociocultural interest: from imperial glorification to a sailor’s While lighthouses help ships stay on course and reach land safely after long
hobby crossings, coastal navigation makes use of a range of daytime and night-time
aids known as "navigation markers". Wooden poles, metal buoys and stone
In addition to their technical interest, models can also bear witness to a turrets enable vessels to avoid such coastal traps as reefs and sandbanks.
wide variety of sociocultural practices across the world and throughout The marker signals the danger’s position and is identified by its shape, conical
history. Some have a symbolic, political role, such as the Trianon collection or cylindrical, and colour, yellow and black in the cardinal system (cardinal
commissioned by Napoleon. Others, like the model pontoons fashioned under points) and red and green in the lateral system (port and starboard). So there
2_
the Empire by French sailors aboard English floating prisons, express the is a real code of the sea that has to be learnt in order to sail in complete safety.
burden of imprisonment and dreams of freedom. They can also be examples 1_Sphinx, Model of the paddlewheel corvette launched in 1829 Rochefort
shipyard’s model-making workshop, 1832–1835. Scale 1/40. Painted wood
ebony, ivory, bones, brass, iron, copper and plant fibre © Musée national
of the miniaturist craftsmanship developed by sailors at sea, such as ships in de la marine/A. Fux
Not one but many arts: ancestral knowledge and navigational instruments
bottles. Models made from unusual materials (ivory, cloves, etc.) also act as
2_Artésien, Module of the 64-gun ship of the line launched in Brest in 1765.
Sébastien Cupin (1715?–1775), model maker. Brest shipyard’s model-making
workshop 1764–1765. Scale 1/28.8. Wood, bronze, brass, iron and plant fibre.

cultural markers. Former imperial collection at the Trianon (1810–1828) © Musée national
de la Marine/P. Dantec The history of techniques and maritime history as we know it in Europe
were influenced by a hierarchised view of civilisations. Most of the objects
3_The model of the Royal Louis © Musée national de la Marine/Cyril
Semenoff-Tian-Chansky

conserved at the Musée National de la Marine bear witness to western

3_ navigation practices, whose development corresponded to the colonisation
of the world through its oceans from the 15th century onwards. Previously,
Arab and Chinese seafaring cultures were mainly represented by highly
symbolic objects (the astrolabe and the compass), with the emphasis on their
1_
eventual spread to Europe. As for the traditional knowledge that enabled
Oceanian sailors to travel considerable distances with no instruments to
guide them, it wasn’t until the 1970s that this was studied and acknowledged.

Science in the service of navigation: in search for precision

In order to know where they are at sea, sailors try to determine their latitude
and longitude, which they can then record on a chart. Although latitude can be
determined simply by measuring the height of the sun, calculating longitude
2_
remained a highly approximate undertaking for centuries. It wasn’t until the
1_Map of the Mediterranean and eastern part of the Atlantic,
18th century and the development of reliable marine chronometers that the
search for accuracy met with success: what time it is tells us where we are.
Visconte Maggiolo (1475-1151).
Inv.: 9 NA 24 © Musée national de la Marine/G. de Carvalho
2_Steering compass Manoel Ferreira (18th century), Portugal
© Musée national de la Marine/G. de Carvalho

12 13
 The Stopovers:
the collection’s treasures

Stopover:
Lighthouses to light the coast Representing Power: Maritime Carving
The dissemination of accurate nautical charts preceded the widespread Naval sculpture had numerous roles: identifier, protective figure and
appearance of lighthouses in the 19th century. Previously consisting of no promoter of political ambition among them. The various forms it could
more than a few rare "fire towers" like the Stiff (Ushant) and the Baleines take bear witness to the fact. Currently exhibited without the ship they
(Isle of Ré), lighting the coast went on to become a real system in which each once adorned, and isolated from the complex decorative programme
lighthouse has to emit a signal that sailors can identify. Scientists, engineers they were sometimes part of, these pieces nonetheless give us an idea
and hydrographers joined forces to promote an innovative technique, of the appearance of vessels of bygone days.
developed by the engineer Augustin Fresnel (1788-1827): a system of lenses
whose beams swept the sea, driven by a clockwork mechanism. Tested out
in Paris, and then from the top of the majestic Cordouan tower in Gironde,
The Réale: the finest of royal galleys
Fresnel’s lens went on to establish itself alongside all the world’s seas. Decoration from the Réale © Musée national de la Marine/Cyril Semenoff-Tian-Chansky

This group of sculptures, miraculously preserved from the ravages of the

The "Finding One’s Way on the Sea: the Arts of Navigation" Stopover enjoyed the exclusive support Lighthouse optics Barbier, Bénard and Turenne, 1894
© Musée national de la Marine/A.Fux sea and passing time, is one of the Museum’s flagship exhibits. Thanks to an
of Breguet, renovation builder sponsor.
ingenious scenographic choice, visitors can admire this outstanding work
from all angles and get an idea of the size of the ship it once adorned.

In the days of Louis XIV, the "Réale" was said to be the largest ship in the
Galley Corps. It was a prestigious vessel, adorned with relief decorations
gilded with gold leaf. Sculptures were reused from one galley to another
all the more easily as the ships were built in the same naval shipyard, in
Marseille. So a part of the decoration exhibited here adorned the Réale of
1688 and its namesake of 1694. This decoration evokes the path of the sun,
personified by Apollo, as the seasons change. The god rules over the world,
surrounded by Olympian deities. It’s an allegory to the glory of Louis XIV, the
Sun King, as is emphasised by the presence of fleurs-de-lys.

Ship decoration and political symbolism: from ancient allegories to

historical figures
Decoration of ships goes back to Antiquity and was never for purely
decorative purposes. From the beginning of the modern era up to
its disappearance in the 19th century, it was a vector of political
imagination. Under Louis XIV, it was put at the monarchy’s service.
With the French Revolution, vessels took on a new republican identity:
a change in their allegorical register. The Empire also reappropriated
ancient symbols, including the eagle. The Restoration and the Second
Empire that followed shifted its focus to great historical figures (Henry IV,
Charlemagne, etc.), intent on establishing their legitimacy in an era marked by
political upheavals. The figureheads exhibited here testify to these evolutions.
Winged genie by François Caravaque (1652-1698),
Decoration from the Réale
© Musée national de la Marine/G. de Carvalho

15
Le Four lighthouse in Trémazan, Brittany, during a storm in November 2010 © AdobeStock/DR
 The Stopovers:
the collection’s treasures

From drawing to ship: the design and production of ship carvings at the Painting and Sculpture Salon between 1755 and 1765. The unfinished
commission was completed by one of Vernet’s pupils, Jean-François Hue.
Between ordering the decoration and installing it on the ship, the process of
creating sculpted ornaments required several actors and comprised a whole The Musée National de la Marine conserves thirteen of the fifteen canvases,
series of steps: preparatory drawings, a draft version in wax and unbaked on loan from the Louvre. Portraits and engravings exhibited alongside
clay, and the final painted wooden sculpture. The first two phases had Vernet’s and his successor Hue’s paintings shed fresh light on the context in
several objectives: to decide on the iconography and have it approved by the which this showpiece of French maritime heritage was created and its legacy.
government’s representatives, give step-by-step instructions to the sculptors,
who had not always designed the decoration themselves, and facilitate the The Charlemagne’s figurehead, 1807. Attributed to Paul Bonnifay
(1814-1888). Toulon shipyard’s sculpture workshop
© Musée national de la Marine/C.Semenoff-Tian-Chansky
creation of these often enormous figures. The procedure ensured a result that
complied with the commission, as these decorations had greater symbolic
significance than those that adorned the ship’s interior.

Restoration of the Iéna’s figurehead was sponsored by M. Jérôme Gervais.

Stopover:

Painting for the King:

Vernet’s Views of France’s
Ports

The series of Views of the Ports of France painted by Joseph Vernet (1714-
1789) constitutes a remarkable piece of heritage in several respects. First of
all, these outstanding artworks provide a wealth of documentary detail on a
bygone era: the palpable vibrancy in these maritime and port scenes bears
witness to the prolific activity that marked the French coastline in the second
half of the 18th century.

In addition, the paintings’ aesthetic perfection was at the service of royal

policy and instruction. They were the result of a major commission placed
in Louis XV’s reign. In 1753, the Marquis of Marigny commissioned Joseph
Vernet to paint a series of large-format canvases exalting the magnificence of
France’s main ports. A step-by-step visit route was drawn up by the Buildings
Directorate, providing for some twenty canvases in all, with the biggest ports,
such as Marseille, Toulon and Bayonne, set to be the subjects of several
paintings. Their foregrounds had to depict details of the activities specific to
each region.

Joseph Vernet arrived in Marseille in October 1753, and went on to make his
way to nine more ports: Bandol, Toulon, Antibes, Sète, Bordeaux, Bayonne,
La Rochelle, Rochefort and Dieppe. It would take him ten years to create
fifteen oil paintings, each 165 cm high by 263 cm wide, which were presented

17 The Interior of the Port of Marseille, Seen from the Clock Pavilion in the Park.
Claude-Joseph Vernet (1714-1789) © Musée national de la Marine/C. Semenoff-Tian-Chansky
 The Crossings:
maritime challenges past,
present and future
Crossing:

Le Havre: a Gateway to Consumption

An imposing quayside crane, almost life-size containers… No doubt
about it, we are in a commercial port! Through the example of Le Havre,
a port connected to Paris by the Seine, this Crossing enables visitors to
get a sense of the ins-and-outs of its incessant shipping flows and how
much our ways of life and consumption patterns are connected with the
maritime world and its global economy.

Feeding the world: fishing

Of all the resources originating in our oceans, the products of fishing are the
most easily identifiable in our consumption patterns. The activity has evolved
a great deal since the 19th century: initially a subsistence activity, fishing has
professionalised, in step with technological development and industrialisation
of tools enabling wider exploitation of fishery resources. It’s become a global
1_ economy at the head of a large-scale supply chain provisioning the various
national and international markets.

© AdobeStock
This section highlights fishing in Normandy in the 19th century. As on most
French coasts, a whole way of life developed around large communities living
on sea products.
There was also a focus on one activity in particular: hunting whales and
other cetaceans. Even though it was arduous, violent work, it was a lucrative
business and western societies depended on it for several centuries. It
enabled exploitation of numerous products used on a daily basis in such
varied sectors as industry, energy, fashion, cosmetics and craftwork.
As they are more in tune with their everyday life, visitors get to know about
the techniques and tools of modern small-scale fishing, and the ways in
which they have been adapted to resources in order to foster short supply
chains and more responsible and sustainable exploitation.

Energy and the sea

Our energy consumption has depended on maritime areas for several
centuries, evolving as our needs increase. In bygone days, whaling provided
the oil required to light our homes. These days, our societies depend on
petroleum and fossil fuels. The sea plays an essential role in provision of
hydrocarbons, whether they are mined offshore, on rigs out in the open

2_
19
1 & 2_ © AdobeStock
 The Crossings:
maritime challenges past,
present and future

sea, or conveyed aboard giant tankers. These days, the emergence and fostered by the railway, which made the English Channel’s first
development of renewable marine energies (RME) is taking us closer to seaside resorts – Dieppe, Trouville and Cabourg – essential
a more responsible future, focusing on the ocean’s strengths and where FOCUS ON A DIGITAL DEVICE destinations. Competitions, regattas and races all became
innovations and debate go hand-in-hand. A virtual reality headset to get you shows well worth watching, so ensuring the success of
inside the model of the Paraguay yachting, immortalised by artists, impressionist painters,
In addition, just like underwater communication networks, energy is central Using observation glasses containing writers and journalists.
to many countries’ politico-economic interests. In France, the National Navy a virtual reality headset and pointing
plays a major role in protection of this very valuable cargo, in particular at the ship, visitors find themselves From river to sea, yachting developed as technical innovations
in the shoes of a passenger on the
by combating piracy. Petroleum product cargoes are also highly sensitive made their appearance; these days, the adventure has taken
Paraguay, a mixed propulsion liner
from an environmental point of view, and strict regulations seek to prevent launched in 1888. From deck to to the high seas. Skippers, either alone or with their crews,
accidents as far as possible. smoking room by way of the 1st-class compete with each other on challenging races across the
dining room and the engine room, world’s various oceans. Such events are important drivers of
they discover the ship’s amenities
Goods: the example of coffee innovation in shipbuilding, helping to improve the resistance of
and their atmospheres, along with its
crew. boats and humans to extreme weather conditions.
Ever since Antiquity, the seas and oceans have been essential to international
trade and exchange. Major shipping routes developed as needs evolved,
discoveries and conquests were made and political relationships forged. Some
Ocean liners: the queens of the sea
of our modern everyday products are perfect symbols of our dependence on
the sea and its trade routes. Such is the case with coffee, whose cultivation In the 19th century, travelling meant boarding a ship and
and consumption since the 19th bear witness to the evolution in goods setting off on a long, difficult voyage. From Le Havre, passengers could sail
transport across the world’s various oceans. to America, first of all aboard sailing ships and then on steamships from the
second half of the 19th century onwards. These ocean liners enjoyed great
This part shows how increasing globalisation has had an impact on the success, encouraging establishment of French companies specialising in
development of ships, from sailing ships to container ships by way of steam- maritime passenger transport from 1850 onwards, including the Compagnie
powered vessels. Ports have also had to transform and professionalise in Générale Maritime, the future Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, the CGT
order to adapt to types of ships and the new realities of maritime trade. or French Line.

There is also a focus on the triangular slave trade, which was based on Spurred on by strong foreign competition, shipowners modernised and
Atlantic trade routes and the slave ports, including Le Havre in France. embellished their ships, which became real "floating palaces" and sources
of national pride. Among the most famous such cruise ships is the ocean
The "Cargos: the example of coffee" section enjoyed the support of the Malongo Foundation, liner Normandie, launched in 1935, a major technical feat and an Art Deco
renovation builder sponsor.
masterpiece.

Pleasure boating and competitive sailing Challenged by aircraft in the 20th century, the activity has continued to develop
Diversion, art, luxury pastime, leisure activity or sport: there are so many and liners are still the subjects of major technical innovations. Nowadays,
aspects to pleasure boating. In France, it developed in the early 19th century in the face of environmental and health problems, and in order to provide
in the wake of British enthusiasts. From Parisian canoers paddling down passengers with new experiences, shipowners and builders are reinventing
the Seine to intrepid yachtsmen taking to the sea, there was no shortage of their ships, developing liquefied natural gas propelled vessels and new
audacious souls willing to take up the challenge, by oar and sail alike.
Normandie, ocean liner, 1935. Anonymous, before 1943
© Musée national de la Marine / C.Rabourdin
sailing cruise ships among other projects.
Here, visitors can rediscover the development of nautical leisure activities,
The "Ocean liners: the queens of the sea" section enjoyed the exclusive support of Chantiers de
l'Atlantique, renovation builder sponsor.
-
The "Le Havre: a Gateway to Consumption" Crossing enjoyed the support of CMA CGM, grand
renovation sponsor.

Start of the Drheam Cup (Grand Prix de France de Course au Large)

offshore race © Romuald Le Hénaff / Marine Nationale / Défense

20 21
 The Crossings:
maritime challenges past,
present and future
Crossing:

Storms and shipwrecks Shipwrecks stories

Setting for perilous adventures, instrument of divine wrath, mirror of As dramatic events, shipwrecks have great narrative power and continue
inner turmoil – the sea has assumed many different faces over the to stir our imaginations through fiction and the arts. Painters, poets, writers
course of history. Humans have tried endlessly to overcome its dangers, and composers have all helped embed the image of stormy seas in our
THE WAVE, A POWERFUL
without ever fully succeeding in doing so. Faced with the fury of the SCENOGRAPHIC FEATURE imaginations, as reflections of human emotions. Their enormity and the fear
unleashed elements, they also experience their mortality. Unpredictable of drowning endow them with metaphysical dimensions. Many legendary
As they enter this monumental wave
and violent, the sea may be frightening but it is always fascinating. structure, rising to a height of almost tales have also been woven around mysterious disappearances, such as the
10 metres, visitors are swept away to fate of Lapérouse’s expedition, which visitors can discover in light-hearted
the middle of the Pacific. By means of
projected images which give the illusion
fashion here, by solving a series of puzzles.
of the water's surface, the viewpoint is
really striking: visitors seem to be in the Shipwrecks cannot simply be summed up as epic events, however. There are
trough of a giant wave, surrounded by more tragic aspects to them, as they may involve the disappearance of entire
the regular swell of continuously flowing
water – powerful, impressive, but never crews and exact a heavy toll on a community. Migrants and refugees, fishermen,
frightening. sea rescuers, skippers, soldiers, yachtsmen, seafarers and
simple passengers – all of them have been sorely impacted
by shipwrecks over the course of history, and continue to
be so today.

Some shipwrecks also cause oil spills, which have a lasting

impact on oceans and coastlines (Amoco Cadiz in 1978,
Erika in 1999 and Prestige in 2002). Such environmental
disasters have also brought about speedier ecological
© Casson Mann / LMNB awareness and reinforcement of maritime safety in the
European Union. Although numbers of shipwrecks have
decreased, there are still large numbers of accidents due to the increase in
global shipping traffic.

Averting fate
At sea and on land alike, religion and superstitions are sometimes intertwined
with the aim of ensuring sailors divine protection on their voyages. Death
at sea has always been a dreaded fate. Unexpected and often violent, it
condemns the victim to die far from their loved ones, usually deprived of
the last rites and a grave. This constant concern led to the emergence of
maritime communities’ own mourning culture and a series of individual and
collective rituals intended to ward off ill luck and ensure the salvation of
departed souls.

Incendie du Kent (1825). Théodore Gudin (1802-1880). Inv.: 9 OA 34; On loan from the Louvre Museum © Musée national de la Marine/C. Semenoff-Tian-Chansky
23
 The Crossings:
maritime challenges past,
present and future
Crossing:
Making common cause with each other in the face of danger, seafarers France as a naval power: history and innovations
also organised themselves in order to improve their own safety and rescue
In this final Stopover, visitors take a closer look at the history and future
victims. As a result, sea rescue societies began to make their appearance
of France as a naval power. France developed a navy in order to ensure
along the coast in the early 19th century, although it wasn’t until 1967 that
national sovereignty and global security. From Louis XIII to the present
the Société Nationale de Sauvetage en Mer (SNSM – National Society of Sea
day, the State has continued to organise itself and innovate to this end.
Rescuers) was created, an association that became a registered charity in
Building ever more modern ships, training sailors and maintaining the
1970. More than 9,000 volunteer sea rescuers now stand ready on almost 214
fleet – such are the challenges raised by the Navy.
sites along the coastlines of Metropolitan and Overseas France.

Underwater archaeology
The Navy under the Ancien Régime and Empire
True time capsules, wrecks have always fascinated people. Some see them
as promises of sunken treasure, others as testimonies of dramatic disasters. Under the Ancien Régime, maintaining a war fleet in a country with several
Above all though, they are submerged pieces of history that underwater coastlines was one of the State’s major concerns. Unwavering commitment
archaeologists spend their time making expert appraisals of. The study of on the State’s part, along with the joint action of thousands of men, sailors,
their remains enables better knowledge of crews’ daily lives, shipbuilding workmen and administrators alike, enabled France to become a world sea
techniques and trade relations across the world. power in the late 17th century, rivalling the English, Spanish and Dutch fleets.

Underwater archaeology is a recent scientific discipline that made its first In order to create a fleet capable of fighting for and protecting the kingdom’s
appearance as such in 1952, during the excavation of the ancient deposit off the interests along the coasts and out at sea, France provided itself with
islet of Grand Congloué in Marseille Bay. It has continued to develop ever since, specialised sites: the naval shipyards. Visitors can assess the extent of
in particular under the aegis of the Département des Recherches Archéologiques the resulting national contribution: vessels had to be built, equipped and
Subaquatiques et Sous-Marines (DRASSM – Department of Underwater maintained, and their crews had to be fed, trained and cared for.
Archaeological Research) set up in 1966.
This gallery highlights this war effort’s many facets: building the ships, true
The underwater archaeologists’ profession combines historical research and floating forests; sea battles; sailors’ everyday lives and food management.
technological innovation. Underwater exploration has resulted in numerous Visitors also make the acquaintance of ship’s surgeons, who had to perform
innovations, including the hard-hat diving suit in the early 19th century and Le Redoutable à Trafalgar, 21 octobre 1805. Louis-Philippe Crépin
(1772–1851). 1806. Oil on canvas © Musée national de la Marine / P. Dantec all sorts of operations, from amputations, trepanations and fracture repairs
the aqualung in the 1940s, both of which enabled access to wrecks in to simple sutures.
shallow waters. These days, we are in the era of archaeology of the
depths, with help from ultra-sophisticated robots. The Navy in the industrial age
FOCUS ON A DIGITAL DEVICE
Starting in the late 18th century and continuing throughout the 19th century,
In an archaeologist’s flippers
the process of industrialisation, which transformed Europe, also benefited the
Using all the right professional
maritime sector. Numerous technical innovations were applied to navigation,
equipment, visitors put themselves
in an underwater archaeologist’s concerning modes of propulsion and weaponry alike. On the one hand,
flippers, from diving into the depths to ships were less dependent on the wind and faster, thanks to steam engines
excavate a wreck to analysing an object and propellers; on the other, they had to be armoured in order to protect
in the laboratory in order to uncover its
secrets. themselves from ever more effective weapons, such as explosive shells.
Hoche. Model of the squadron battleship launched in 1886. Such inventions modified ships’ profiles and on-board living conditions. New
Lorient naval shipyard’s model-making workshops,
based on plans by Charles Ernest Huin (1836–1912).
End of the 19th century.
professions made their appearance: topmen, who worked aloft, were joined
Scale 1/66. Painted wood, steel, metal, brass and plant fibre.
Inv.: 25 MG 16 © Musée national de la Marine/A. Fux down below by stokers, coal trimmers and mechanics.
2_

1_Scaphandre Denayrouze & Charles Petit. Charles Petit & René Piel
(1920-1930). Auguste Denayrouze (1837-1883). 19th century
© Musée national de la Marine/P. Dantec
1_ 2_ Ship’s bell Bazin P., 18th century. 1785-1788, Lapérouse Expedition
© Musée national de la Marine / A.Fux

24 25
 The Crossings:
maritime challenges past,
present and future

The Navy in the World Wars Two focuses highlight various aspects of these missions: the first, on naval
aviation, puts the spotlight on the "sailors of the sky" (pilots), "yellow
The First World War triggered an innovative arms race. In 1914, despite being dogs", mechanical engineers, air traffic controllers, electronics engineers,
slightly on the late side as far as its other powers were concerned, France maintenance specialists, and flight navigators and radarmen. The second is
had to ensure that its Navy remained effective in order to meet the needs of dedicated to life in a nuclear attack submarine (NAS), a vessel designed to
its colonial empire. It stepped up its presence on and under the sea, as well accommodate some sixty sailors for up to 70 days in a confined, completely
as in the air with the increasing role played by naval aviation in countering sealed space.
the submarine threat. These three aspects are complemented by its ground
troops, the naval infantry. Possessing the world’s fourth greatest tonnage, The "France as a Naval Power: history and innovations" Crossing enjoys the support of Naval Group,
the French Navy is regarded as highly competent and very well trained. Its grand renovation sponsor, MBDA, Dassault Aviation and TechnicAtome, building sponsors,
1_ © Alexandra Alias / Marine Nationale / Défense and NHIndustries, associate sponsor.
budget remained higher than the armed forces’ until 1936.

During the Second World War, the Navy was sorely tested.
Like the country, it was divided between those loyal to the Vichy regime and
members of the Free French Naval Forces that had rallied to General de Gaulle.
FOCUS ON A VISIT DEVICE
The attack on Mers el-Kebir in 1940 and the scuttling of the French fleet at
Toulon in 1942 were major setbacks. But the naval forces resumed the fight The Rafale simulator, designed
with Dassault Aviation
alongside the Allies in 1942, in North Africa and then during the landings in
Sitting in the pilot’s seat and armed
Normandy and Provence. In 1945, having suffered significant, traumatising
with their controllers, visitors get a
losses, the French Navy had to cope with the reconstruction and modernisation taste of flying a Rafale, from catapult
of its ships and shipyards. © Marine Nationale / Défense
launch to deck landing on the Charles
de Gaulle aircraft carrier.

The Navy since the end of the Second World War

Throughout the second half of the 20th century, the French Navy focused on
regaining the leading role it had once played. In 1945, everything needed
to be rebuilt. The Navy launched a rearmament plan, back in action again
in the First Indochina War (1946-1954) and the Algerian War (1954-1962).
It reorganised itself with a focus on naval aviation, going on to prioritise
nuclear weaponry, which was a decisive factor if French independence
was to be ensured during the Cold War (1945-1989). Invaluable diplomatic 2_

tools, France’s defence vessels uphold the nation’s values on the world’s 1_Lorraine. Model of the 1st-rate battleship launched in 1913.

seas. Welcoming Heads of State and foreign dignitaries on board, they are
Musée National de la Marine's model-making workshop. 1952–1953.
Scale 1/100. Wood et metal. Inv.: 25 MG 33 © Musée national
de la Marine/A.Fux

essential supports to the country’s foreign policy and a means of promoting 2_Charles de Gaulle. Model of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier
launched in 1994. Maquettistes Réunis de Suresnes
2004. Scale 1/100. Wood, resin polyester, polystyrene, plexiglass
French culture. brass and zinc alloy. Restored with the support of Naval Group
Inv.: 25 MG 33 © Musée national de la Marine/A.Fux

In this section, visitors get to know about the National Navy’s present
missions and the wide range of professions practiced by its 39,000 sailors.
Thanks to the last few decades’ technological innovations, the French Navy is
currently the largest in the European Union. It carries out numerous external
operations (OPEX), taking action on the water, underwater and in the air. It
also helps maintain France’s sovereignty in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ)
and carries out such maritime protection missions as combating trafficking
and pollution.
© Maxime Audin / Marine Nationale / Défense

26 27
 Temporary exhibitions A first temporary exhibition on the A topical cultural offer
sea in film
Housed in a new dedicated area covering The Museum’s cultural offer keeps fully
more than 800 m², two temporary For its first temporary exhibition, to be up to date with current events, offering
exhibitions a year will explore themes held from 13 December 2023 to 5 May exchanges, dialogue and debate. The
connected with major contemporary 2024, the Musée National de la Marine Museum acts as a venue for addressing all
issues, combining history, art and is focusing on the 7th art. The exhibition, present-day issues, ecological, economic,
technologies. Accessible to everyone, designed in collaboration with the heritage, scientific and strategic alike,
the exhibitions will highlight maritime Cinémathèque Française, is devoted to those relating to the wonders of the sea, to
heritage and scientific research, while depiction of the sea in the cinema and the the development of yachting and offshore
providing visitors with innovative medium’s historical evolutions. racing, and to military and security
sensory experiences. Whether sparking From the Lumière brothers to The questions. Areas have been specially
emotion, raising questions or providing Wolf ’s Call, by way of Windjammer, created to accommodate these events,
knowledge, the Museum’s temporary Titanic, Pirates of the Caribbean and including the new 200-seat auditorium
exhibitions will be invitations to sail the Jacques Perrin’s Oceans, the exhibition and a fully modular news area providing
Engaged, vibrant seas and are intended for all audiences, traces filmmakers’ attraction to the rapid responses to maritime headlines and
with the aim of inspiring visitors, sea and the technical advances made major events. A range of formats is on offer
cultural programming addressing new generations’ present- to film it. Immersed in scenography in these event spaces, including debates,
focusing on the sea, day concerns and arousing curiosity
among as many people as possible.
reminiscent of film sets, visitors set sail on
a voyage interspersed with over 300 works
showroom, PC race relays, special-theme
exhibitions, digital installations and web
its adventures – costumes, posters, paintings, photographs, TV and web radio broadcasts.

and innovations Giving pride of place to dream and

imagination, the upcoming exhibitions
imaging devices and film extracts – most
of them from the Cinémathèque Française
will tackle a variety of subjects in collections.
innovative, immersive fashion.
Transmission of maritime heritage, An exhibition designed by the Musée National de la Marine,
Following an inaugural exhibition with the Cinémathèque Française.
"maritimisation" of the public and
focusing on the sea in film, designed in
highlighting of maritime issues go to form
collaboration with the Cinémathèque
the new cultural programming’s guidelines.
Française, the Museum will be sailing
The Museum is intended to be a forum and
around the world with the Vendée
crossroads where all stakeholders and all
Globe’s offshore racers in 2024. After this,
navies meet, mingle, exchange, and become
it will take visitors in conquest of the
accessible to all sectors of the public under
depths, exploring our amazing overseas
one roof: National Navy, Merchant Navy,
territories, and setting off through the ice
fishing, yachting and racing, oceanography
to rediscover the Poles.
and science. In this regard, it is set to
become an essential link of the "planet sea",
complementing its existing initiatives: the
institutions, foundations, associations,
events and media that defend and promote
knowledge and protection of the oceans, their
heritages, values and challenges for the future.

Calais-Dover, by Jean Boyer and Anatole Litvak, France-Germany, 1931,

Universum Film. Offset poster 80 x 68 cm. Cinémathèque Française collection.
© Cinémathèque française / All rights reserved

28 29
© AdobeStock
 A fully accessible Museum

A museum The Museum has brought in accessibility experts with a view to surpassing the
standards set by the French Law of 11 February 2005 "on the equality of rights
for everyone and opportunities, participation and citizenship of people with disabilities".

In order for visitors to access the building and its various areas, special
universal accessibility amenities have been deployed, including audio
beacons, tactile orientation table in the reception hall, and tactile guidance
strips.

Numerous systems have also been developed to make content accessible to

as many people as possible, whether they have a physical, visual, hearing or
mental disability, are dyslexic, elderly or non-French speakers.

Some are fixed, such as the eight mediation tables in the various galleries,
incorporating objects to touch, screens with audio descriptions and translation
into FSL (French Sign Language), texts in braille and FALC (Easy to Read and
Understand) texts.

In addition, on-board tools are available free of charge: a "sailor’s bag" for 3 to
5 year-olds, suitable for children in the autistic spectrum, a FALC visit booklet,
a visit companion on the Museum’s web app, with audio descriptions, FALC
texts and FSL videos, and comfort objects (noise-cancelling headphones,
sunglasses and anti-stress balls).

There’s a range of comprehensive guided tours on offer: in audio description,

in FSL and FALC; for socially disadvantaged visitors in the process of learning
© Musée national de la Marine/Romain Osi
French; and "wellness" visits for patients, co-developed with the AP-HP
(Hospitals of Paris).

Toned-down scenography
In order to ensure that all its visitors enjoy the best possible visit comfort,
The Musée National de la Marine has a wide the Museum organises visit time slots with "toned-down scenography",
variety of visit possibilities on offer, so that every during which sound and lighting variations are reduced. This possibility was
inspired by the "quiet hours" organised in a number of shopping centres.
visitor can find their place there, whatever their
It ensures that anyone who might get easily tired or be hypersensitive
age, cultural practices, knowledge or eventual (including those with certain mental disabilities, the elderly, individuals who
disabilities. With twenty or more activities to have difficulty concentrating) will enjoy a more comfortable visitor experience.
choose from, along with self-guided visit tools
and a range of events, the Museum helps visitors
feel a sense of ownership over the collection.
© AdobeStock

30 31
A family Museum Designed for families and adults alike, some fifty fixed devices help visitors
better acquaint themselves with the Museum’s themes and works, including
For families and budding matelots, the Museum has a variety of storytelling videos, high-tech tools, and manipulations. For example, they will be able to:
tours, guided tours, workshops and birthday activities to choose from.
Adapted to specific age groups (under 3 y/o, 3-5 y/o, 6-12 y/o and 12-16 y/o), - Meet contemporary seafarers (men and women)
such activities regularly provide sensory approaches, fostering interaction so - Visit the Paraguay ocean liner via a virtual reality headset
that families can take an active part in the visit. © AdobeStock
- Learn a "deck game" played by passengers on an ocean liner
- Get to know about sea-rescue response chains by playing a game inspired
A self-guided route through the collection is on offer by arcade games
to parents and children (6 years old and above). In 11 - Play at guessing sailors’ superstitions
THE BUBBLE,
stages (6 works and 5 mediation devices), children learn A SNOEZELEN-INSPIRED - Put themselves in an archaeologist’s flippers during underwater research
to play games based on seafarers’ values: the patience of SPACE - Pilot a Rafale fighter jet taking off from an aircraft carrier
sailors waiting in port, the lighthouse keeper’s vigilance, Initially designed for visitors with learning and mental
the explorer’s curiosity, the captain’s skills, and the disabilities, as well as autistic spectrum disorders, the
For a self-guided tour, a free web app is available on mobile phones with no
figurehead’s serenity. "Bubble" is an open-access sensorial space in the heart of
the visitor journey, focusing on the themes of reefs and coral. downloading required. It includes several visit routes:
It provides users with some alone time, so that they can calm
For 3 to 5 year-olds, a sailor’s bag is available free of down and recharge their batteries in order to get the best out - An open route with enriched content on some sixty works to scan:
charge at reception, containing sensory materials, a little of their visit.
soundtracks, videos, animations, images, infographics and archives, as
ship’s log and a sensory map, to use in eight of the route’s The Museum collaborated with Inclu&sens in designing this well as interviews with museum professionals, researchers and historians,
stages. facility, which was co-constructed with disabled individuals
mariners, chaplains, craftspeople, etc.
so as to be able to meet their needs as fully as possible.
- 4 guided routes: the unmissables; young visitors; "offbeat" for young adults;
In addition, a "young visitor" route is on offer on the This new space draws inspiration from the Snoezelen
method developed in the Netherlands in the 1970s, a form
and an immersive route in binaural sound, providing audio sketches on
Museum’s web app: guided by a mysterious mermaid, shipboard life in different eras.
of sensory exploration that fosters relaxation, awareness © Musée national de la Marine/Romain Osi

children uncover the little secrets hidden away in a and confidence in people with multiple disabilities. These
selection of works. days, the method is used in medical institutions (hospitals,
nursing homes, etc.) and crèches. This area inspired by
the Snoezelen method, an inclusive, sensorial, permanent
Special attention is also paid to 18-30 year-olds, with facility co-designed with disabled individuals, is a first for
activities designed for them which are offbeat in tone a museum. © Musée national de la Marine/Romain Osi

and which focus on contemporary issues, including the

role of women in the maritime world, ecological issues,
and everyday expressions which have originated in the
maritime realm. This particular audience also has its own
route on the Museum’s app, allowing them to make free connections between
the collection and our contemporary world.

32 33
 3
a large-scale
project for
an outstanding
museum

1_

For the first time since its move to the Palais de Mandated by the Musée National de la Marine, OPPIC
Chaillot in 1943, the Musée National de la Marine has (Opérateur du patrimoine et des projets immobiliers
carried out a comprehensive transformation of its de la Culture / Heritage and Cultural Real Estate
areas. Project Operator) assumed responsibility for delegated
There were multiple challenges involved: management of the overall renovation project.
- redefining areas in order to diversify the cultural offer Several projects were implemented as a result:
- improving the Museum’s attractiveness by means of an architectural project in the hands of the
spectacular, innovative scenography and a dynamic, h2o architectes and Snøhetta agencies; operations on
welcoming reception area the historical monument, overseen by Chief Architects
- updating the Museum and ensuring it meets all of Historical Monuments Lionel Dubois and Pierre
technical and regulatory standards Bortolussi; a scenography project designed and directed
- ensuring the Museum’s autonomy by increasing its by Casson Mann and directional signage created by
own resources via dedicated areas (restaurant, shop, Contours Soft Design.
2_ seminars and conferences).
1_ Musée National de la Marine, Paris. Renovation worksite. Palais de Chaillot. Main Pavilion; Davioud Gallery. h2o architectes The Museum’s renovation also provided an opportunity
and Snøhetta. © Patrick Tourneboeuf/OPPIC/Tendance Floue. 19/01/2021
2_The new Museum, End Pavilion © h2o architectes and Snøhetta
to implement a comprehensive project on the restoration
of the collection, carried out by the Museum’s teams.

34 35
 irresistibly reminding us of the past of this prestigious institution. As a result,

The architectural
the visitor experience extends beyond the walls of the Museum, carrying the
imagination away to wider, more distant shores.

project A fluid route

The areas and their functions revealed from the reception hall
The entrance sequence begins with a vestibule with something mysterious
and out-of-the-ordinary about it, and continues into a high-ceilinged hall. From
here, the Davioud Gallery appears gradually through a succession of simple,
refined volumes that emphasise the sheer size of the building. A marking
The Musée National de la Marine’s renovation The dynamic architectural language facilitates 1_

strip winding its way along the floor guides visitors from one to another of
by h2o architectes and Snøhetta was motivated visitor mobility and connectivity between the sequences making up the visitor journey. The uninterrupted continuity
by a determination to reinvent the organisation spaces, and fosters more fluid interaction between the exhibition areas and the interplay of transparency reveal the
of its various components in order to provide the between the building’s various areas. Drawing geometry of previously existing areas as well as the functions of the new
Museum’s users with a setting for work, visits on the successive historical layouts of this spaces on the mezzanine (news area, members’ lounge, exhibition areas, etc.).
and exchanges suited to their needs. The design edifice, h2o architectes and Snøhetta have
A visit 'loop' offering an intuitive experience
of the new Museum is characterised by curved restored the monumentality and volumes of
The reopening of the historical staircase, designed for the original project in
and circular forms, in harmony with the existing the existing architecture, which are well suited 1878, and its incorporation into the visitor journey covering the permanent and
architecture of the building and reminiscent of to accommodate the new Museum and related temporary exhibition area have created an intuitive, easily recognisable visit
the natural motion of water. activities. 2_ loop. On occasion, these same areas are opened to the outside, in response
to a twofold desire to recreate a part of the 1937 project and reinforce the
Museum’s anchorage in its context.

A new Museum in keeping with the building’s history Getting your bearings: visual connections between the Museum’s various levels
and with its surroundings
The starting point for this comprehensive renovation project was the
Reopening of the bays has re-established a visual connection between the
transformation of the 1878 Palais du Trocadero into the Palais de Chaillot
Museum’s interior and exterior: the Eiffel Tower and Trocadéro Gardens
for the 1937 Universal Exhibition, at the hands of Carlu, Boileau and Azéma.
can now be seen from the exhibition areas. The architectural project has
On that occasion, the Palais’s two gallery-wings were thickened and all its
reintroduced the role of the end pavilion halfway through the visit route:
interiors covered with abstract sheathing with a view to obtaining a less
it has become the natural convergence point of the curved galleries. The
eclectic more monumental architectural language. The current project
oculus that Davioud designed for the 1937 project but which was never
creates a subtle dialogue between past and future. The new Museum
created has now been materialised. Now apparent in all its proud verticality,
resonates with the history of the site, somehow providing a composition and
the end pavilion acts as a visual cusp between the various levels right up to
reconstitution of the volumes of the 1937 galleries.
the original, now restored vaulted ceiling.

An architectural project in dialogue with the existing buildings and inspired

by the maritime world Thickness: a functional gap
So as not to impact the scenography to be integrated into the Museum’s
The new design of the Museum’s interior areas adds other rounded forms to rehabilitated areas at a later date, all bays are concealable. Likewise, the
the existing building’s graceful curves, helping to create a continuous, fluid apparatus required for setup of exhibitions and the networks providing areas
route, which evokes the natural dynamics of water. Visitors travel through with thermal comfort are integrated into the wall linings. The envelope’s
the Museum with a natural, immersive movement, and have several possible thickness has become a functional gap freeing the Museum’s galleries from
routes to choose from. The new layout interweaves contemporary facilities 3_

technical constraints without affecting the heritage integrity of the existing

Musée National de la Marine, Paris. Renovation worksite. Palais de Chaillot; Davioud Gallery.
with the existing architecture, like the ebb and flow of waves, constantly and h2o architectes and Snøhetta ©Patrick Tourneboeuf/OPPIC/Tendance Floue
building, which is classified as a Historical Monument.
1_16/01/2020 2_15/02/2022 3_04/04/2023

36 37
Variety of scales and viewpoints: a multiple experience at a renovated At the end of the two weeks, h2o architectes and Snøhetta pooled their
Museum respective work during a four-day workshop held in Oslo. The two agencies’
architects got together to compare, test, examine and combine their proposals
The design of the Davioud Gallery’s mezzanines is the result of a subtle with a view to developing a common vision and hypotheses suited to the
geometrical dialogue with already existing features, which does nothing Museum’s scale and specificities. Hence, the project was a collaborative
to impede their perception and ensures preservation of large, populated affair, developed over the course of repeated workshops held in France and
voids. The mezzanines serve to sequence and thematise the rooms that Norway for the parts of the institution set to be open to the public.
accommodate the Museum’s collections, creating a range of levels well
suited to the presentation of their varied contents. They provide a high-angle The team took full advantage of each agency’s specific qualities and skills,
view of the galleries, which are remarkable for their size and simple in their bringing a rigorous approach to the project that was both inventive and
treatment, and frame new perspectives of the renovated vaulted ceiling. 1_
attentive to heritage. Following a number of tests designed to reach a
Furthermore, the natural overhead lighting is controlled by the addition of volumetric definition of the new programmes which were to be integrated, the
filter blades, installed beneath the glass roof. preservation of the galleries’ empty spaces was proposed as the solution best
suited to the context of the operation. The existing building – with its grandeur,
Users at the heart of the new Museum simplicity of treatment and abundant space – was the unifying factor! As a
result, design acted in service of use – both through the implementation of a
Visitors are the central concern of the new Museum and are set to enjoy a
project anchored in its site and through highlighting the intrinsic qualities of
brand new, enriched experience: the visit that loops through the permanent
the existing building.
and temporary exhibition rooms coexists with news and mediation areas on
the mezzanines. The Museum’s generously proportioned reception hall is
It was the clarity of their approach, the fluidity of their proposed visitor journey,
provided with furniture that encourages users to feel welcome in the space.
and their understanding of the challenges facing a museum of tomorrow
Technical and administrative areas, which have also been rethought on the
expressed in the competition phase, which led to the French-Norwegian team
occasion of the Musée National de la Marine’s overall renovation, have been
being selected.
subtly and functionally integrated into its imposing whole; this facilitated the
smooth running of everyday activities associated with exhibitions, events and
As authorised agent, h2o architectes was responsible for the overall design
visitors offers.
and monitoring of works undertaken to create the reception, exhibition,
restaurant, logistics and collection conservation areas, along with the new
A joint initiative between two agencies: h2o architectes and Snøhetta auditorium and staff offices. The Paris agency was also responsible for
coordination with the Chief Architect of Historical Monuments, and interfacing
In 2016, the Musée National de la Marine and OPPIC (Opérateur du patrimoine
with museography and scenography, which was the subject of a second
et des projets immobiliers de la Culture / Cultural Heritage and Real Estate
contract.
Project Operator) published notice of a call for competition for renovation
Snøhetta focused on studying the entrance sequence and integration of the
of the Musée National de la Marine. It was then that h2o architectes and
reception/ticket office. During the construction phase, Snøhetta assisted h2o
Snøhetta met with one another and the two agencies decided to join forces
architectes by providing its expertise during implementation of technical
and compete together. The resulting project management team was selected
procedures required for certain parts of the work in hand.
from the 117 candidacies initially received by the contracting authority.

The design phase began with two intensive project development weeks based
on the consultation file: each agency analysed all the factors involved in order
to gain a full understanding of the project’s main challenges and developed 2_

their architectural first intentions with respect to programmatic expectations 1_Musée National de la Marine, Paris. Renovation worksite. Palais de Chaillot;
Ground floor 15/02/2022; h2o architectes and Snøhetta © Patrick Tourneboeuf/OPPIC/
Tendance Floue
and the unique heritage context. 2_The new Museum; entrance to the Palais de Chaillot © h2o architectes and Snøhetta

38 39
h2o architectes Snøhetta
Snøhetta was founded as a multidisciplinary collective around the competition
h2o architectes is an agency specialising in architectural, heritage and urban
winner for the new Alexandria Library in 1989. The agency is named after
creation and reprogramming. It develops varied programmes on different
a Norwegian mountain, asserting the importance that Snøhetta has always
scales: housing, public spaces, new neighbourhoods, work and educational
assigned to context and environment. Snøhetta currently has over 350
environments, and cultural facilities.
employees of 32 nationalities across the world, based in 8 autonomously
h2o architectes was founded by Charlotte and Jean-Jacques Hubert in 2005.
operating agencies. The agencies network with each other, enabling them to
Antoine Santiard joined the firm as an associate in 2008. The agency won the
draw on the wealth of experience accumulated in Snøhetta’s projects across
Albums des Jeunes Architectes et Paysagistes (AJAP – Young Architects and
the world while integrating seamlessly into their local contexts.
Landscapers) competition the same year, were nominated for the Équerre
d’Argent "First Work" Award in 2012,
Ever since its beginnings, Snøhetta has received international attention due
and received the "Europe 40 under "h2o architectes is very pleased and proud to have worked to its cultural buildings, each perfectly integrated into its environment and
40" Award in 2014. In 2016, the three with Snøhetta on the renovation of the Musée National de la open to its city, whether it is Oslo’s emblematic Opera House, the extension to
associates founded Eugène Architectes Marine, the latest of Paris’ national museums to have undergone 1_
the SFMOMA Museum of Contemporary Art in San Francisco, the World Trade
du Patrimoine to meet the challenges comprehensive rehabilitation. The site and the Museum’s Center Memorial in New York or the Lascaux IV International Centre of Parietal
involved in restoration of Historical collections and history provided us with a rich, complex subject Art in France. In all its projects, special attention is paid to accessibility and
Monuments. that it was our privilege to reveal and highlight in a contemporary flexibility of spaces as well as close collaboration with cultural institutions’
In the face of the complexity of the setting. The work carried out by h2o and Snøhetta has helped scientific teams.
contexts addressed and their heritage create awareness of a link between past and future, and of the
and social characters, the agency’s many challenges that the realm of the sea must itself respond Snøhetta has been established in Paris since 2018: 30 architects, landscapers
members developed an agile approach to. The new Museum, along with the mission it fulfils, is a 2_
and designers compose a multidisciplinary team, anchored in Snøhetta’s
capable of resolving each situation in common good to be shared by all of us. We are delighted that 1_Musée National de la Marine, Paris. Renovation worksite.
Palais de Chaillot; Davioud Gallery. 11/01/2023; h2o architectes values and identity while also being experienced in the French context. In
unique fashion, through concerted action. the public can now rediscover this universe in its imposing and Snøhetta. © Patrick Tourneboeuf/OPPIC/Tendance Floue
2_Musée National de la Marine, Paris. Renovation worksite.
2020, following Lascaux IV’s inauguration in 2017, the agency delivered the Le
Palais de Chaillot. Main Pavilion; Davioud Gallery. 11/01/2023;
Projects are designed open-endedly, galleries and its collections." Antoine Santiard, associate architect h2o architectes h2o architectes and Snøhetta. © Patrick Tourneboeuf/OPPIC/
Tendance Floue.
Monde Group’s new head office and the renovation of the Musée Carnavalet.
in finely balanced dialogue with each
Since then, the Paris studio has been working on projects of very varied types,
site’s history, which is systematically
including rehabilitation of the Théâtre des Amandiers in Nanterre and Lille’s
examined and always enriched.
Natural History Museum, and construction of a Planetarium and Observatory
Programmes are also called into question with a view to
in Douai. The agency is also set to create the National Court of Asylum in
transcending the initial commission and creating renewed OPPIC Montreuil and the Euraénergie energy hub in Dunkirk, as well as implement
sites whose appropriation is left open to their inhabitants’ DELEGATED PROJECT MANAGEMENT
such urban landscaping projects as the comprehensive redevelopment of
initiative. More than just spaces, h2o architectes constructs OPPIC, Opérateur du Patrimoine et des Boulevard de la Croisette in Cannes.
places to be enjoyed and experienced. Projets Immobiliers de la Culture (Heritage
The agency’s work is the subject of the monograph and Cultural Real Estate Project Operator)
is a public contracting authority working
Ouvertures / Openings, published by Park Books in 2020. on behalf of the State and its institutions. "I am proud of and honoured by Snøhetta’s contribution to the
Four of its Parisian projects have also been published: The It specialises in project management of reinvention of the iconic Musée National de la Marine’s areas, and
redevelopment of the Museum of Modern Art (Modern cultural facilities and in restoration and
upgrading of historical monuments. It works our participation in the renewal of its legacy: France’s relationship
Modern, Park Books, 2019), the massive-stone housing
first and foremost on behalf of the Ministry with the world’s oceans. Our collaboration with h2o architectes,
units along Avenue Félix Faure (Building with limestone in of Culture and its operators, but can also with their understanding of French history and architectural
Paris, Building Books, 2020), the redevelopment of Place carry out missions for other ministries.
heritage, has been a real source of inspiration. Together, we are
de la Madeleine (Place-making at the Madeleine, Building
delighted to see the public appropriating the Museum’s areas and
Books, 2020) and the complete transformation of the Reuilly
rediscovering the institution’s extensive collections."
Barracks (De la caserne aux logements, Reuilly Paris 12e Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, founding architect Snøhetta
(From barracks to housing, Reuilly Paris 12th), Pavillon de
l’Arsenal, 2021).

40 41
 the architectural renovation. It makes use of the curve of the building to
ensure that the visitor’s crossing is natural and intuitive. Key to the design
are a series of monumental sculptural 'landmarks'. These installations lead
visitors through the Museum and make maximum use of the volumes of
the building; they include a ship's hull, a suspended shipping container and
a giant wave animated by projections. Another highlight is the ship model
gallery, where visitors have 360-degree views of the ships in the national
collection.

The scenography The visitor experience is at the heart of the scenographic design, the idea being

project
that visitors must be able to understand what they see, enjoy themselves and
relax during their voyage across the Museum. To this end, they are invited to
make their own choices, follow their own course, and so give their visit the
form that best suits them, going with the flow of their interests and desires
at that moment. The scenographic visitor journey leaves visitors maximum
freedom so that they can get the most out of the wealth and diversity of the
collection.

In order to attract and interest a wide and varied audience, including people
with disabilities, families, young people, connoisseurs, neophytes, individual
visitors and groups, the scenography provides a series of immersive
environments of extraordinary beauty in which, thanks to the mise en scène
(and, of course, to the works themselves), visitors are immediately immersed
both emotionally and sensorially. Exhibition areas are constructed so as to
reveal new perspectives and provide innovative approaches, in particular
with regard to present-day maritime problematics and challenges.

Accessibility is one of the Museum’s key aspects, and the institution seeks to
do more than simply comply with legal requirements. The scenography was
created to cater for people with reduced mobility, people with hearing and
visual impairments, and people with learning difficulties and mental disorders.
The design integrates rich collections, including marine art, with some fifty
audiovisual, interactive and tactile devices. The result is an immersive and
unforgettable museum, suitable for a 21st-century audience.

Casson Mann’s "wave" in the "Shipwrecks and Storms" Crossing © Casson Mann / LMNB Casson Mann
Recognised as one of the world’s best design agencies, Casson Mann is
Innovative scenography designed by Casson Mann
a British firm specialising in interpretive design. Casson Mann is known for
Casson Mann’s scenography is rooted in its desire to make the Museum a living creating innovative, tailor-made project for international clients.
institution that links stories of the sea to the deep connections that the nation The agency is engaged in the design of museums, exhibitions and interpretation
has forged with it – and to do so for a wide audience. Their approach is based on centres, whether in the context of new buildings or on heritage sites and historical
the need to captivate and inspire as many people as possible, so as to make the monuments. In order to put visitors at the heart of its approach, Casson Mann
Museum a venue that brings meaning to our era and the lives of those who live in considers content, form and space as a single entity. Whatever the story to
it. The project had to further elevate a collection containing many works that have be told, from presentations of awe-inspiring collections to digital installations,
never or only rarely been exhibited before, and communicate the message that Casson Mann’s goal is to provide a varied, unforgettable experience sure to
the sea is part of us, that it plays a role in our lives. exceed visitors’ expectations.

The Musée National de la Marine is a modern, living institution, not just a venue for Casson Mann is currently designing the Palais de la Découverte in Paris,
exhibiting historical objects. Its goal is to tell stories, entertain and give pleasure. which is set to open in 2025. The inauguration of the new scenographic visitor
Here, the sea is presented in its social and cultural context, in the broadest sense. experience at the Palace of Tau in Reims is scheduled for the same year. The
Hence, the design celebrates the elegant, understated spaces created following Musée National de la Marine is its first project in the French capital.

42 43
THE COLLECTIONS REVIEW

Begun in 2016, the transfer of the collection to the conservation and resource
centre in Dugny, one of the most modern of its kind in Europe, was the first
step in the Chaillot museum’s renovation. Over 3,800 objects were moved
from the Chaillot site to the conservation and resource centre, and 36,000
books were provided with dedusting and curative conservation treatment.

All the works presented in the new Chaillot visitor journey have been restored
– a major scientific and financial undertaking. The new project presents some
1,000 works, extremely varied in nature, from model boats to paintings by
way of items in contemporary materials and fabrics.

The Musée National de la Marine possesses a key asset ensuring the mission’s
success: its restoration workshop. For the last hundred years, its members
have been handing down the knowhow inherited from former shipyard
workers, complemented by contemporary knowledge on conservation and
© Musée national de la Marine/A.Fux
restoration. The workshop currently employs three heritage restorers and
has nationally acknowledged competence with regard to restoration of
model boats and their rigging. Logically enough, they are responsible for
the restoration of all models of boats. From the monumental Royal Louis to
contemporary liners, not forgetting the Trianon collection’s treasures, over
100 models, each with their own story, specificities and needs, have benefited
from tailor-made restoration.

The other works were restored by close to a hundred external freelance

restorers specialising in almost every field, including metal, ceramics, textiles,
paper, sculpture, paintings, photographs, graphic arts, contemporary materials,
furniture and frames. Restoration work lasted two years (2021 – 2022).
Joseph Vernet's Views of the Ports of France and other loans from the
Louvre Museum were restored at the Centre for Research and Restoration of
the Museums of France (C2RMF).

Restorers at work at the Musée National de la Marine’s conservation and resource centre © Musée national de la Marine

44 45
 The renovation project The renovation’s key The renovation’s key
dates figures
in figures and dates
2016 2020 6 years of renovation
October: launch of the call for Continuation of studies of the •
competition for renovation of the Musée museography and overall project 46 companies involved in the project
National de la Marine • •
• 2022 8,000 m² to reinvent and 2,500 m² of
2017 Final phase of the building renovation semi-permanent visitor journey
March: closure of the Museum to the project and start of work on the •
public scenography Over 1,000 works exhibited in all
April: designation of the building • formats and mediums (including
architect 2023 models, scientific and technical objects,
November: start of the collection Summer: completion of building weapons, paintings, graphic and
review renovation and work on scenography; decorative arts and audiovisuals) along
the semi-permanent visitor journey
• installation of works
2018 (except large formats reinstalled between •
November 2022 and June 2023)
Over 35,000 collection objects to
October: removal of the Emperor’s Mid-November: opening to the public conserve and highlight, including:
Canoe
- 2,822 models boats
December: end of the collection review
- over 7,000 paintings and drawings
• - 5,220 photographs
2019
•
February: launch of the competition Almost 50 mediation devices: manipula-
for creation of the scenography
tions, digital, immersive and interactive
July: launch of the competition for devices, etc.
creation of general and specific signage
•
September: designation of the selected Cost including all expenses: €71.2m incl.
Musée National de la Marine, Paris. Renovation worksite. Palais de Chaillot. Davioud Gallery, ground floor.
project management team following
04/04/2023; h2o architectes and Snøhetta © Patrick Tourneboeuf/OPPIC/Tendance Floue
all expenses / incl. VAT
the scenography competition
October: start of building renovation

Musée National de la Marine, Paris. Renovation worksite. Palais de Chaillot. Staircase to the mezzanine
in the Davioud Gallery. 04/04/2023; h2o architectes and Snøhetta. © Patrick Tourneboeuf/OPPIC/Tendance Floue 46 47
Contributors
to the renovation

Project Management Historical Monument project Companies -* Lot 15 Lifts: TK ELEVATOR -* Lot SC05 Audiovisual equipment: Signage (under signage project
Musée National de la Marine management (closed and covered) -* Lot 16 Parquetry: Parquets Briatte ETC Audiovisuel management: Contours soft design)
Façade opening for removal of the
• -* Chief Architect of Historical -* Lot 17 Furniture / Layout: Bonnardel -* Lot SC06-1 Main structure – A5 steel SG01: functional signage: Boscher
collection’s large-format items:
Delegated Project Management Monuments: Pierre Bortolussi -* Lot 18 Luminous ceilings: Serrurerie frame: Normacadre SG02: specific signage: Boscher
-* Lot 01 Masonry: Degaine
Opérateur du patrimoine et des projets • de la Parette -* Lot SC06-2 Main structure – SG03: dynamic signage: Procom
-* Lot 02 Metalwork: Laber Métal
-* Lot 19 Mobile stands: Jezet Seating Timber framework and carpentry: SG04: tactile table top: Okeenea
immobiliers de la Culture (OPPIC – Scenography Project Management
Heritage and Cultural Real Estate Gruppofallani
-* Scenographer: Casson Mann Renovation (under project management
Project Operator) Historical Monument restoration -* Lot SC06-3 Main structure –
-* Economist and SMC (Scheduling, h2o architectes)
(Pierre Bortolussi, Chief Architect of Plastering, painting: Atelier Louis Del
• Management and Coordination):
-* Flushing / Asbestos abatement
Historical Monuments) Boca
Assistants to the contracting Adéquat ingénierie
/ Lead removal (preliminary work): -* Lot SC07 Manipulations, sensory
authority -* Graphic artist: Praline -* Lot 01 HM Metalwork / Locksmithing /
Premys devices: Aveam
-* SMC: Batscop -* Lighting designer: 8’18 Mirrors: Technibat-Ateliers des Ternes
-* Lot 01 Demolitions / Structural -* Lot SC08 Signage graphics: Boscher
-* SMC interfaces: Setec Opency -* Acoustician: Think acoustique (authorised agent) and Scaff & Co (co-
Work: Eiffage Construction -* Lot AV01 Immersive audiovisual
-* Technical control: Risk Control -* Accessibility: Polymorphe Design contractor)
Équipements Réhabilités shows: Clap 35
-* Safety and Health Protection (SPS) -* Audiovisual equipment: RC -* Lot 02 HM Masonry: Degaine
-* Lot 02 Metalwork / Locksmithing: -* Lot AV02 Audiovisual
Coordinator: Qualiconsult Sécurité Audiovisuel -* Lot 03 HM Parquetry: Parquets
Chauvin devices (filming, interviews and
-* Accessibility: Handigo -* Structure engineer: GMGB Briatte
-* Lot 03 Interior joinery / Sun documentaries): Grand Angle
-* Climate: H3C -* HV/ELV/HVAC engineer: ANA -* Lot 04 HM Carpentry / Furniture:
protection: Les Établissements Giffard -* Lot AV03 Interactive, multimedia and
-* Environment: Oasiis ingénierie Les Établissements Giffard
-* Lot 04 Partitions / Insulation lining / animation devices: Squint Opéra
-* Public Safety and Security (PSS): -* Maintenance consultant: Igrec -* Lot 05 HM Lift: TK Elevator
Plastering: Spie Partésia -* Lot AV04 Interactives and
Sur&tis Ingénierie
-* Lot 05 Suspended ceilings: multimedia games: MG Design
-* Audiovisuals for the renovation, • DBS – Haguenier Semi-permanent area scenography -* NAS cabin in Gallery 1: Agencement
scenography and signage parts: SG Signage project management -* Lot 06 Glass facades / Glass panel (under project management Casson Paul Champs
Conseil -* Signage designer: Contours soft railings: AF2M Mann) -* Decorative painting: Odile Bouxirot
• design -* Lot 07 Floor coverings and Faïence: -* Lot SC01 Scenography and display-
Renovation project management -* Technical Design Office for S.E.R. case layout: Gruppofallani
-* Architects: h2o architectes audiovisuals: Approche Audiovisuel -* Lot 08 Painting / Signage: Maison -* Lot SC02 Environmental
(authorised agent), Snøhetta (associate -* 3D and tactile model design: Tactile Dureau engineering: Axima Concept
architect) studio -* Lot 09 Scenographic networks and -* Lot SC03 High and low voltage
-* Technical Design Office, equipment: Videlio electricity: SNEF
structure:Équilibre Structures -* Lots 10-11 HV-ELV electricity: SNEF/ -* Lot SC04 Scenographic lighting:
-* Technical Design Office, fluids: Igrec SNEF Connect Artechnic
Ingénierie -* Lot 12 HVAC: Balas
-* Economist: VPEAS -* Lot 13 Plumbing / Sanitation: UTB
-* Lighting: Agence On -* Lot 14 Scenographic projectors:
-* Acoustics: Impédance EUROSEP
-* Fire safety and prevention: Casso &
Associés 48 49
 4
the institution

The Palais de Chaillot © Musée national de la Marine/Maurine Tric

A centre of maritime cultures open to all, the Musée Constituted as a network, the Musée National de la
National de la Marine aims to be a showcase and Marine has seven sites: in Paris, in Seine-Saint-Denis
heritage conservatory for all navies. It possesses one with its conservation and resource centre,
of the world’s finest and oldest collections, tracing as well as on the Atlantic coast, in Brest, Port-Louis
250 years of maritime and naval adventures. A public and Rochefort (two sites), and the Mediterranean
institution with an administrative role, placed under coast, in Toulon. Its territorial distribution enables it
the supervision of the Ministry of the Armed Forces, it to maintain close ties with local maritime cultures and
is a museum of art and history, science and technology, promote an active policy of exhibitions and events that
human adventure and popular traditions all in one, make it a living venue for raising awareness on the
actively involved in the 21 century’s major maritime
st
sea’s present and future challenges.

Port-Louis site © Musée national de la Marine/Romain Osi

issues.

50 51
 At the Palais de Chaillot and on the coast (1943-1996)

The history of the Musée On the occasion of the second Salon de la Marine, held from 4 June to 3
July1943, the Museum presented a first selection of scale models and naval
National de la Marine sculptures. Initially centred on the history of the war fleet, its historical focus
gradually broadened to include galleries devoted to underwater exploration,
the merchant navy, yachting and hydrography, always from the angle of
national history. Visitors came to enjoy an increasingly varied experience:
dreams of glory and distant horizons were complemented by the fascination
for tools resulting from scientific and technical advances, the popularity of
From the Louvre to the Palais de Chaillot competitive sailing, nostalgia for transatlantic cruises, and the emotions
aroused by works which draw inspiration from the sea. In parallel to this
1748 is the year in which the collection is said to have originated, when the
museographic programme, an ambitious documentary source centre was
encyclopaedist and Navy Inspector Henri-Louis Duhamel du Monceau gave
created for use by researchers and enthusiasts.
King Louis XV the collection of model ships and port machinery he had
amassed in the naval shipyards. Established on the first floor of the Louvre
The coastal museums, housed in the former premises of the naval shipyards
in 1752, next to the Academy of Sciences, the "Navy Room" was a technical
in Cherbourg, Brest, Lorient and Toulon, which had suffered a great deal
feature intended for instruction of students at the Navy’s school of engineers-
from airstrikes during the Second World War, were attached to the Museum
builders of royal vessels.
in 1947. In response to local requests, other facilities were later created,
either managed by the municipalities concerned or through the Association
In 1801, a temporary naval gallery was opened at the new Ministry of the
of Friends of the Musée National de la Marine (AAMM). This network, which
Navy in the Hôtel de la Marine on Place de la Concorde. The Views of France's
went on to include 15 sites, did not survive the growing interest in maritime
Ports, painted by Joseph Vernet between 1754 and 1765, were hung there,
heritage in the 1980s, expressed by the creation of museums devoted to local
alongside models and technical objects.
maritime specificities.
In 1827, the Naval Museum returned to the Louvre, where it exhibited
After being threatened with eviction from the Palais de Chaillot in 1996 to
collections previously dispersed among the naval shipyards and official
make way for a museum of indigenous arts, the Maritime Museum changed
palaces, while new rooms were created in the shipyards themselves, in
course and embarked on an ambitious renewal project. An initial Scientific and
Cherbourg, Brest, Lorient, Rochefort and Toulon. Throughout the 19th century,
Cultural Project (PSC) was developed in 1998. The Museum gradually came
the Museum maintained the technical and historical aspects provided by the
to rank among the leading actors on Paris’ cultural scene and in France’s
models of bygone and contemporary ships it contained, to which paintings
maritime museum landscape. During this period, the Museum stood out for
and art objects were added, chosen for their value as historical testimony.
the major exhibitions it mounted: Les marins font la mode (Sailor Chic in
An ethnographical dimension was provided by the collections resulting from
Paris) (2009); PHARES (LIGHTHOUSES) (2012) ; Maturin Méheut (2013); Dans
exploration missions and colonial expeditions (the Ministries of the Navy and
les mailles du filet (In the cracks) (2015).
the Colonies only carried out one prior to 1893). Admiral Pâris, its director
from 1871 to 1893, a member of the Academy of Sciences and founder
In 2016, the Musée National de la Marine renewed its Scientific and Cultural
of nautical ethnography, amassed a collection of almost 400 models of
Project (PSC) with the aim of becoming the 21st century’s acknowledged
traditional ships, some from Europe but most of them from Asia and Oceania,
maritime cultural hotspot. The renovation work on the Paris site, set to
which remains unparalleled elsewhere in the world to this day. Regarded as
be nothing less than the Museum’s refoundation, was the new PSC’s key
the Louvre’s sixth department, the Naval Museum consisted of 19 rooms with The Palais de Chaillot between the 1940s and 1960s © Musée national de la Marine/
DR
feature. The Chaillot site was closed to the public in 2017 and is reopening
a total surface area of 2,000 m².
after 6 years of work. In its new setting, the Musée National de la Marine
has reinvented itself as a contemporary maritime cultural hotspot, open to
The Museum, which had been under the aegis of the Ministry of the Navy since
the world and abreast of its times, a forum for encounters and exchanges
1919, was rehoused in the new Palais de Chaillot, built for the 1937 International
focusing on the great questions which arise on our blue planet.
Exhibition of Arts and Techniques in Modern Life. Its collections were put into
storage on the eve of the War before being accommodated in the Palais de
Chaillot’s Passy wing in 1942. 53
 Port-Louis: a museum in the heart of the Citadel

A museum constituted Located on the Atlantic Ocean at the entrance to Lorient harbour, Port-Louis
Citadel is a fascinating site built in 1618. Situated in the heart of this Citadel,
as a network the Musée National de la Marine presents an outstanding collection of
boats, old navigation instruments and historical models. The Museum visitor
journey, which is organised around two thematic areas – one dealing with
Port-Louis
the history of sea rescue and the other with shipwrecks on the route to the
Indies – makes it a first-rate museum complex.

Toulon: the Levant port

Operating as a network, the Musée National de la Marine has
become a major centre of maritime heritage, present in Paris A true reflection of the naval dockyard, the Museum traces the way that
and on the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, where the themes Toulon gradually became the Mediterranean’s largest naval port in the
reign of Louis XIV. Monumental models, relief plans, paintings and scientific
covered and collections exhibited reflect local history.
instruments tell the story of the creation of its dockyard and the military port’s
remarkable destiny for over 350 years.

Toulon
Dugny: a conservation and resource centre at the forefront of the latest
techniques
Brest: a castle with seventeen centuries of history A conservation and resource centre in the municipality of Dugny in
Located on the tip of Brittany, Brest Castle bears witness to a destiny Seine-Saint-Denis, the Musée National de la Marine has a site which makes
intertwined with that of the sea and the history of a city, a region and an entire use of the very latest conservation techniques. It accommodates the
country. The Museum's collection traces the history of France’s Navy and Museum’s reserve collections, library, documentation, photo library and
evidences its close ties with the city. Tours of the castle also enable visitors restoration workshops.
to enjoy magnificent views of the harbour, the Penfeld river, the city and its
ports.

Rochefort: the maritime adventure through two museums

Brest Dugny

In Rochefort, the Museum is housed in a historical monument, Hôtel © Pascal Aimar/Oppic/Tendance Floue

de Cheusses, one of the city’s oldest civil buildings. Home of the last lord of
Rochefort, it became the first residence of the Chefs d’Escadre (Squadron
Commanders) when the naval shipyard was created in 1666. The collection
presented and the building itself bear witness to the historic adventure of
Rochefort’s naval shipyard. A visit to the Rochefort Museum also provides an
opportunity to discover the Old Naval Medical School. Inaugurated in 1722, it
was the first of its kind in the world, and its visitors will find it just as it was
in the mid-19th century. It is a museum, historical monument, scientific library
and place of remembrance all in one.
Rochefort

Photos of the network’s sites (except Dugny) © Musée national de la Marine/Romain Osi

54 55
Sponsors and partners Practical information
and contact

Renovation sponsors OPENING HOURS

The Museum is open daily except Tuesdays, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. with late
opening on Thursdays until 10 p.m.
Grand builder sponsor Grand builder sponsor

BOOK AND GIFT SHOP

A true concept store with a focus on the sea, the book and gift shop is managed
by Arteum and has a varied range of products on offer, some of them specially
designed and created for the Museum. A vibrant venue, the book and gift shop
also holds regular events (book signings, etc.).
Builder sponsors
RESTAURANT
The Museum’s restaurant, a new amenity created during its renovation, is
managed by Monument Café and gives pride of place to products of the sea.
The menu is designed for families, and the restaurant turns into an "oyster bar"
during late-opening nights.

BUSINESS CENTRE
The business centre, comprising a 200-seat foyer/auditorium and 6 seminar
rooms, is dedicated to hosting corporate events.
A choice setting with a view of the Eiffel Tower, it is fully equipped to ensure an
Associate sponsors optimal experience and can be adapted to suit all types of events.

ONLINE TICKETING
https://billetterie.musee-marine.fr/
Association des Amis du
Musée de la Marine

MUSÉE NATIONAL DE LA MARINE

Palais de Chaillot
Copyright : Pema2M 17 place du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre
75116 Paris
Institutional partners T. +33 (0)1 53 65 69 69
www.musee-marine.fr

CONTACT
Musée National de la Marine
Communication and Sponsorship Department
Rémy Hoche, head of department – r.hoche@musee-marine.fr
Anne-Laure Reynders, Press relations officer
al.reynders@musee-marine.fr

Press relations
Alambret Communication / +33 (0)1 48 87 70 77
Marion Gales & Émilie Harford
musee-marine@alambret.com
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30-34 Rue du Chemin Vert 75011 Paris Date : 02/09/2019

+33 (0)1 85 56 97 00 www.carrenoir.com

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