10-Musées.qxp 17/03/2016 18:40 Page49
◆ Constance Rubini, Curator, Musée des Arts Décoratifs et Design
The Musée des Arts Décoratifs et Design, housed in Hotel de Lalande, has superb collection of furniture, ceramics, glass, silver, musical instruments, miniatures, table settings, offering an inspired presentation of French decorative arts at the time of the French Revolution. Curator Constance Rubini selected a small writing table by cabinetmaker Pierre IV Migeon (1696-1758), built around 1750. “I really love the elegant form of this petite table from the era of Louis XV, a kidney shaped table, with pretty arched legs with five faces. Along with its highly refined form, I also love the ingenuity of its mechanisms with various settings and the effectiveness of its proposed use,” said Constance Rubini of the table designed for ladies who enjoyed reading. “This petite table is called a ‘table-liseuse’ because its desktop is equipped with an adjustable, tilted panel on which you could rest a book, a book that one read by light from the fireplace. A cloth screen could be unwound to protect one’s face from the heat given off by the fireplace.” Musée des Arts Décoratifs et du Design 39 rue Bouffard, 33000 Bordeaux Tel: +33 (0)5 56 10 14 00 www.bordeaux.fr/p63910/musee-des-arts-decoratifs artdeco.publics@mairie-bordeaux.fr Open every day from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm Closed Tuesday and bank holidays
Constance Rubini, Curator, Musée des Arts Décoratifs et Design.
◆ Renata Pstrag, Curator, Musée des Douanes
The Musée des Douanes is like a grand cabinet of curiosities, drawing 25,000 visitors a year. Set in the magnificent hall of the original customs building built between 1735 and 1738 for the General Farm, the customs system used prior to the French Revolution, the collection of 13,000 artefacts includes an opium pipe, a real stuffed lion seized at Roissy airport, historical uniforms and weapons, tools and models, archives dating back to 1603 as well as lovely works of art - a drawing by Salvador Dali and a painting by Claude Monet, La Cabane des Douaniers. It was Monet’s painting that curator Renata Pstrag chose to highlight. “It’s important for the history of art and the career of Monet. It is one of small series of a dozen paintings on this theme. And as an artist, it was the first time he painted a series,” said Renata Pstrag. Monet was also capturing an important moment in the history of French customs. These cabins were built along the coast to stop the flow of contraband while at war with Britain. “People are drawn to the museum for the variety it offers, and how it shows the history of France through the prism of the policing merchandise,” said Pstrag.
Renata Pstrag, Curator, Musée des Douanes.
Musée National des Douanes 1 quai de la douane 33000 Bordeaux Tel: 33 (0) 5 56 48 82 82 contact@musee-douanes.fr www.musee-douanes.fr Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm, every day except December 25 and January 1
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