Following Corpus in 2014, a new thematic installation will interplay with the permanent collections. Entitled Opus, an architectural term which refers to all masonry, it involves constructing an ensemble of images that celebrate the representation of monumental architecture. This sequence, chosen from a collection that runs from the 17th century to today, brings a new dynamic to the permanent visit, creating new resonances between the historical collections and contemporary acquisitions.
Approached as a whole, the unique identity of the Musée Réattu - a historic monument reinvented as “conservatory” of collections - becomes as an Opus (work) in itself, challenging our drawings, photographs, sculptures and decorative objects. It is an opportunity to discover rare architectural drawings by Jacques Réattu and approach the historical building via painted or sculpted works by Pierre Buraglio, Max Charvole and others.
The high point of the Opus experience is in the photography department, which presents a selection of works in which the question of architecture and monumental heritage holds a central place. The visit starts by focussing on the development of photography, using an evocation of the pioneers of heliography in 1851 as a way of better exploring photographic commissions of the 20th century. It also examines the place of architecture within the photographer’s art. From the near-abstract compositions by Lucien Hervé to the ephemeral constructs immortalised in images by Georges Rousse, each work reveals aspects of the artistic and memory challenges that monumental heritage impose on modern and contemporary photographic art.
