The Jacquemart-André Museum unveils its elegant restoration
various parts of the facility. We explore alongside Pierre Curie, the curator of the Jacquemart-André Museum
It happened just before the initial lockdown in 2020. Pieces of the ceiling in the smoking room fell to the floor. It was quickly decided to undertake restoration work not only on this room but also on other areas,” explains Pierre Curie. In addition to this alcove, the grand staircase with its Tiepolo fresco, the ceiling of the tearoom (another work by the Italian painter), and the exterior courtyard have also received a gentle facelift. The transformation in the smoking room is particularly striking. From green, the walls have been covered in a sumptuous garnet red, aiming to approximate the tapestry’s original hue. “When the Jacquemart-André Museum opened in 1913, the walls of the smoking room were red. It was only through later renovations that they turned green”, highlights Pierre Curie. This return to the original is also seen in the woodwork, which has been regilded. From curtains to carpets, from parquet floors to ceilings, no detail has been overlooked.
An impressive Private Collection of Artworks
Welcoming nearly 400,000 visitors annually, the Jacquemart-André Museum closed its doors for many months to welcome the public under the best conditions and thus honor the testament and wishes of the collector duo Nélie Jacquemart (1841-1912) and Édouard André (1833-1894). Following their marriage in 1881, the couple dedicated themselves to their art collection, acquired in France and abroad. “These two enthusiasts often traveled to Egypt or Italy, returning with armloads of master paintings. After her husband’s death, Nélie Jacquemart continued to amass exceptional items. She can be considered the European rival of Isabella Stewart Gardner, the great American art collector and patron of the late 19th-century,” analyzes Pierre Curie. Housed in a magnificent private mansion built between 1869 and 1876 during Paris’s vast urban planning led by Baron Haussmann, the Jacquemart-André spouses’ art collection brings into dialogue Italian canvases by Botticelli, Ucello, or Mantegna with those by Rembrandt, Fragonard, Van Dyck, and Reynolds. Among the
museum’s treasures, the dining room ceiling fresco by Giambattista Tiepolo, originally from Villa Contarini in Mira (Italy), is undoubtedly one of the most impressive. This majestic piece was renovated by restorer Chiara di Marco from the Arcanes workshop. “A thorough cleaning followed by a complete restoration of this essential part of the museum was necessary. The ceiling, which had darkened to brown, now appears brighter with this predominating blue”, Pierre Curie remarks, standing in this well-known room which boasts a new decoration (chairs, carpets…) that enhances comfort for the visitors coming for its lovely teatime. The restoration work on the Jacquemart-André Museum, situated in a private mansion from the late 19th-century, aimed to bring it as close as possible to its original aspect. Mission accomplished…
- Through January 5, 2025
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