Exhibition

In 2026, the Maison des Arts will be 200 years old!
Three exhibitions exploring ‘the house’, its public and private spaces, and its garden will mark this anniversary.

From the late 19th century onwards, the house was a cherished venue for entertaining. It bears traces of the spaces and their functions, which were designated for different people according to social class, gender or age. Social and family interactions took place on the ground floor. A large entrance courtyard sets the scene for the beautiful main façade. This is followed by a spacious hall designed to welcome guests. Next come the small and then the large drawing rooms, the dining room for the ‘grown-ups’ and the one for the children. Crystal chandeliers, gilded details and porcelain complemented the armchairs, which were a little too stiff for conversation. In the library, there were books, a few vases and family portraits. Luxury, certainly, but nothing ostentatious.

For the exhibition *Habiter la maison*, the artists have drawn inspiration from the little monsters in the dining room, subverted bourgeois conventions or slipped beneath the living room carpet. Very little remained of the family furniture in the attics of the Maison des Arts. For this anniversary, the exhibition design has combined the artists’ works with a few pieces of furniture. Two or three armchairs and some second-hand side tables bring the house to life even more for visitors for the duration of the exhibition.

What kind of attachments do we form with the places we live in? In the house, filled with the smells of cooking and laundry alike, the warmth, light and air make the curtains flutter. Everyone lives there in their own way and feels at home differently, creating their own private space.