THE CURRENT EXHIBITION

PHILIPPE GIGOT

RETROSPECTIVE

From 1 April to 30 September.

Philippe Gigot creates iron sculptures, both figurative and abstract, ranging from small-scale to monumental. He works with worn, broken, or obsolete agricultural tools and machine scraps, using them as fragments and witnesses of our civilization. Through his work, he invites us to explore the memory of time and immerse ourselves in his sociological inquiries.

OUR UNFORGETTABLE EXHIBITIONS

UNDERWEAR

AND FASHION
ACCESSORIES

The exhibition took you on a thrilling journey through the realm of women’s undergarments, tracing the evolution of fashion and the liberation of the female body: from the crinoline to the corset; from the caraco to the alluring bikini.

We also paid tribute to the talented costume designer from Dunes, Christian Gasc, who had an illustrious career in Paris after discovering cinema at the Apollo Theater in Valence d’Agen.

With four César Awards and a Molière Award to his name, he collaborated with the greatest names in the film industry, contributing to around fifty films and an equal number of plays.

THE BEGGININGS

OF SOUND IN RADIO
AND CINEMA

Visitors were able to immerse themselves in the fascinating world of great sound discoveries with an exhibition rich in period objects: an exceptional private collection of nearly 200 pieces related to sound:

1920s to 1955 radio sets;
microphones;
phonographs;
recordings of the first radio broadcasts…

The highlight of the exhibition was an authentic snail-shaped pavilion, a WE15A from the famous American company Western Electric dating back to 1927, the first device for talking movies.

THE SUMMER

HOLIDAY
SAGA

This temporary exhibition highlighted the impact of the 1936 law on paid holidays, which opened up new summer horizons for the French. Holidaymakers flocked in large numbers by train, bicycle, car, and even plane, discovering the pleasures of camping, boarding houses, summer camps, and holiday clubs. The exhibition showcased vintage tents, utensils, boats, parasols, and beachwear.

A tribute to the Front Populaire and the introduction of paid holidays, this exhibition demonstrated how the French gained and then made use of this newfound freedom of vacations.

ROBERT DOISNEAU

FINGERS FULL
OF INK

This exhibition highlighted the iconic series of 30 photographs by Robert Doisneau, one of the most popular photographers of the post-war era and a major representative of French humanist photography. With tenderness, he captured childhood and the school world, immortalizing precious moments of children on school benches, primarily in the 1950s. A true dive into a universe filled with childhood memories, inkwells, and meandering paths, this exhibition revealed familiar and moving worlds to both young and old alike.

SEM

CARICATURES AND ILLUSTRATIONS
FROM THE BELLE ÉPOQUE

SEM, a pioneer of visual communication, made his mark during his time through his illustrations in advertising, fashion, caricature, and illustration. His art was inspired by Japanese aesthetics, with delicate lines and motifs influenced by Japanese prints. The exhibition showcased iconic works such as « La Marche à la Roulette » (The March at the Roulette), « Les Acacias » (The Acacias), and « SEM au bois » (SEM in the Woods), depicting Parisian society and fashionable places. SEM was able to capture the essence of his time, from the Belle Époque to the post-war era, and his works continue to be admired for his artistic talent and historical testimony.

THE 50S

Discover the 1950s in France: the Indochina War, the Algerian War, reconstruction, and the emergence of modern society. Our exhibition allowed visitors to explore a period of contrasts and transformations where decolonization became inevitable. Dive into the cultural life with the existentialists of Saint-Germain, Bardot in cinema, and the arrival of rock music with Elvis Presley. This immersive exhibition showcased newspapers, movie posters, and period objects to illustrate the transition towards a new modernity.

JEAN JOUGLA

COMBATANT IN SPITE OF HIMSELF
SOLDIER IN SPITE OF EVERYTHING

Jean Jougla, a soldier in the First World War from Saint-Paul-d’Espis, has left us 16 unpublished war diaries. This exhibition has unveiled a rare collection of period objects, such as uniforms, correspondences, photographs, and trench artwork, offering us a poignant testimony of Jean Jougla’s experiences during the war.

CINEMA

ON SHOW FROM
1830 TO TODAY

In the exhibition hall of the conservatory, you had the opportunity to discover a unique collection in Europe. This exhibition showcased a rare selection of cinematographic devices such as the magic lantern, praxinoscope, zoetrope, cameras, projectors, and lighting, which played a key role in the evolution of cinematographic techniques. Among these iconic pieces were the cameras used in cult films such as « Les Tontons flingueurs » and « La Grande vadrouille ».

FIRMIN BOUISSET

REVOLUTION IN
ADVERTISING

The exhibition showcased the innovative work of Firmin Bouisset, a native of Tarn-et-Garonne, who transformed advertising art by using unique and simplified characters to embody a brand. His creations, made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, have become timeless icons. The little girl writing on a wall for Menier chocolate, the young student of Lu with his capeline, the Pierrot of Poulain chocolate, the little Maggi girl, and many other characters are now part of our heritage and collective imagination. The exhibition illustrated, through images, how Bouisset shifted this cluttered and verbose advertising into the era of modern advertising.