“We have the impression that Bourdelle can return at any time”: in Paris, the workshop of the famous sculptor, which has become a museum, restored to the same after two years of work

Closed for seven months, the museum found its visitors. Occupied since 1885 by Antoine Bourdelle, this place is one of the last vestiges of the artists’ residences of Montparnasse. Hence the importance of its rehabilitation, which cost nearly 5 million euros.

A sanctuary place

In the gardens, nothing has changed. The monumental sculptures of Rodin’s pupil always rise in the middle of the vegetation. You have to enter the studio where Antoine Bourdelle created his works to discover the transformations. Constructed of timber and brick, the structure of the building was in danger of collapsing. So everything was consolidated, without changing anything. Even the floor has been preserved. “We removed the slats one by one, then numbered them. We had to fill in the underground quarries which create instability and rising damp. We poured a concrete slab and put the identical parquet floor proudly explains Ophélie Ferlier-Bouat, director of the museum. When the sculptor died in 1929, his wife, Cleopatra, and their daughter, Rhodia, sanctified the place. But when the museum was created, some works had been moved or added. From archival documents, sculptures have been replaced where they were during the sculptor’s lifetime. The original paint on the walls as well as the marks left by Antoine Bourdelle’s activity (graffiti and nails) have been carefully preserved. “An artist’s studio from the beginning of the XX^e century preserved like this is something extremely rare. In general, these are environments that have evolved. We have the impression that Bourdelle can come back at any time” rejoices Ophelie Ferlier-Bouat.

Innovation to attract a young audience

If on the workshop side time seems to have stopped, in the 60 m2 technical room, the XXI^e century is indeed present. To discover the different professions of a sculpture and better understand how Antoine Bourdelle designed his works, the museum has chosen to use digital tools. Cartels, panels and screens explain the manufacturing process according to the materials used. The Virgin at the Offering (1920) is notably presented in clay, plaster, marble and bronze, with information for each copy. Visitors can also touch works. A tactile discovery of three original bronzes by Antoine Bourdelle is proposed, after having listened to an audio commentary giving free rein to one’s imagination. Playful, interactive devices to attract a younger audience.

Bourdelle Museum, 18 rue Antoine Bourdelle 75015 Paris, open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., free access to the permanent collections