Following the recent donation of Marlene and Spencer Hays to the Musée d'Orsay and that of Zeïneb and Jean-Pierre Marcie-Rivière and on the occasion of the 30thth anniversary of the establishment, Audrey Azoulay, Minister of Culture and Communication, officially confirms the creation of a center of studies of Nabis and Symbolism within the museum.
Dedicated to the research on this group of artists and the presentation of their works, this centre will take place in the Mailly-Nesle hotel, which is being acquired by the Musée d'Orsay, which will also install its library and documentation centre.
This center will contribute more widely to make better known the movement of Nabis and Symbolism, the history of techniques and works, their merchants and collectors. Place of exchange and reflection for all researchers, collectors and amateurs of this important movement of the end of the XIXth The Centre will work towards the creation of a corpus of works preserved in national and international collections.
Aiming to become a pole of excellence uniting in network the community of art historians, researchers and heritage curators specialists of this period, the centre also aims to establish scientific partnerships with various institutions, such as the National Institute of Art History (INHA), the Félix Vallotton Foundation in Lausanne and the French and international museums rich in collections of artists of this movement.
Due to the importance of the symbolist collection of the Musée d'Orsay (paintings, sculptures, art objects), this centre will be closely linked, both intellectually and materially, with the museum’s works. It will thus constitute an original structure among the research centres in art history.
Guy Cogeval will be in charge of the project as of March 15. A call for nominations will be launched on November 23, 2016 with a view to appointing a new president of the Musée d'Orsay.
The vacancy notice for the position of President of the public establishment of the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée de l'Orangerie is available here.