The departmental museums of Allier are selling, for the first time, scenographic elements from old exhibitions. See you from July 4 to 7, at the Museum of Youth Illustration, in Moulins.
Want to acquire the red and gold armchair of the little king from the exhibition dedicated to the author Mario Ramos by the Musée de l’illustration jeunesse, in Moulins, in 2022? The throne of Anne of France, from the eponymous exhibition presented at the Musée Anne-de-Beaujeu the same year?
From Thursday July 4 to Sunday July 7, an exceptional sale will be held at the Musée de l’illustration: scenography elements from past exhibitions will be put on sale during these four days.
The director of departmental museums, Yasmine Laïb-Renard, explains the reasons for this sale, a first: “Our services recycle a huge number of exhibition elements, which circulate, depending on the projects, from the castle of the Dukes of Bourbon to the Museum of youth illustration or at the Anne-de-Beaujeu Museum But certain elements are built at the request of the scenographers, sometimes very bulky. We cannot reuse all the temporary furniture. And we cannot keep everything. , these elements deteriorate, collect dust, humidity, some remain in sheds for five, ten years…”
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Yasmine Laïb-Renard, director of the Allier departmental museums, is behind the project.
How the idea came about: “For example, we have given games created for the youth trails of exhibitions to colleagues from the Department working in childcare, such as a Lego® pyramid designed for the exhibition “The Return of the Mummies” in 2013-2014 at the MAB. An association asked us to buy the large aviary suspended from the ceiling, created for the exhibition of the illustrator Carll Kneut, at the MIJ. That’s what gave us the idea of organizing this event. As these elements were paid for in operation, we can therefore sell them. At low prices, depending on the price and wear, from €10 to €50. The hardest part was actually giving them prices.”
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Demarcation line
Silhouettes and German soldiers, among others, and the barrier of the demarcation line will be for sale. Philippe Bigard archives
What can we afford? Very disparate elements, such as the silhouettes of German soldiers, the reconstructed barrier of the demarcation line from the exhibition “L’Allier comme en 1940!”, presented at the Malcoiffée, plastic armchairs, old display cases, a huge iron grasshopper which had been installed in the courtyard of the MIJ… “We will repeat this sale once a year”. For this first sale, everything has been carefully labeled, the items will be repatriated to the MIJ during the sale, except for the most bulky items, which can be purchased on photo. “Sales will be recorded in the museum store. For some, you will need a van to transport their belongings. We have chosen to organize the sale at the time of the launch of our new exhibition, “Thank you, Monsieur Corentin”, which begins Friday July 5.”
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Which buyers are targeted?
Who are the potential buyers? “Individuals, associations, and why not, communities, to integrate, for example, a school, or to serve for a reconstruction. It can also be useful to other museums, which would work for example on the Second World War. Some furniture can be used to make a garden furniture.”
“This sale is also a sharing of our life. These objects were either bought or made by our agents. We use as much wood as possible, but it’s a shame to dismantle beautiful creations. For a long time, we gave, but selling allows us to show that things have value, that they were imagined, carved in wood, painted. There was no question of destroying them, these creations must live, and children must be able to continue to enjoy them!”
The sale will take place during the opening hours of the illustration museum, 26 rue Voltaire in Moulins, i.e. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday July 7, from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Ariane Bouhours
