With 186,299 admissions, the various museums managed by the city of Tours overall had a great year in 2024, driven by record attendance at the Museum of Fine Arts. With the new vivarium of the Natural History Museum and the future tour of the Compagnonnage Museum, 2025 also offers good prospects for these different cultural establishments.
In March 2024, we took the time to speak with the director of the Tours museums, Hélène Jagot. We then analyzed the 6% increase in admissions to Tours museums between 2022 and 2023. “For some, museums become a place to stroll” commented the professional, who arrived in 2020. It is also an extension of the school with almost 20,000 entries from children, teenagers or students at the Museum of Fine Arts alone.
In 2024, the positive trend continued. This time, 186,299 visits were recorded at the Museum of Fine Arts, the Musée du Compagnonnage, the Natural History Museum and the Château de Tours, or 3,000 additional entries in one year. The increase is 1.5%, that is to say more measured. However, it hides disparities:
- The Museum of Fine Arts saw 79,500 people pass through, compared to 63,000 in 2023. The increase is 25%
- The Musée du Compagnonnage went from 44,000 to 47,000 admissions, an increase of 7%
- The Château de Tours is in decline with 32,000 visits compared to 33,700 a year earlier (-5%)
- The Natural History Museum collapses by 33% (28,000 admissions vs. 42,000)
How can we explain these strong variations? Concerning the Natural History Museum, it is simple: it was made inaccessible for 2 and a half months due to work to redo the vivarium, which has just been inaugurated. The first attendance figures since its reopening are very positive, as are those of the temporary aquatic exhibition scheduled on the ground floor. It is therefore a safe bet that 2025 could see much better attendance figures at 3 Rue du Président Merville.
For the Museum of Fine Arts, the surge in visits comes from the great success of the two temporary exhibitions organized successively: The Scepter and the Distaff around the cause of women and the exhibition on portraits, visible until February. “We are already at 19,000 entries” comments the deputy mayor of Tours Christophe Dupin who is in charge of cultural affairs.
The absence of a major exhibition in 2025 could therefore lead to a drop in visits to the Museum of Fine Arts, before a probable rebound in 2026 with a major event around Camille Claudel. However, the municipality hopes to capitalize on the achievements of recent months to maintain strong interest around the establishment. “This success is the dynamism of an entire program” believes Christophe Dupin who cites the conferences, the evening classes, the concerts… “Free access for young people under 26 does a lot. Some come for an event because it’s free and then come back to see the collections” analyzes the chosen one.
Success would also come from subscription cards: “For 2 years they have been developing” assures Christophe Dupin. However, we must also continue to modernize to attract and retain the loyalty of the Touraine public, essential alongside tourists. For this reason, the Musée du Compagnonnage is currently closed in order to set up a new tour route. A new project to discover after February 14, and which will complete the renovation of the establishment which has already benefited from a new entrance facing the tram platforms in 2024. A showcase which has allowed it to boost its appeal.
There remains the question of the Château de Tours, where attendance is quite irregular. “The Jeu de Paume exhibitions were less attractive than the previous year” explains the deputy mayor, without calling into question the partnership with the Parisian institution whose professionalism he salutes, or the attachment to Tours: “Some exhibitions are presented at the Château before Paris. The one on Letizia Battaglia offered until May 18 will then go to Arles and Turin. There is an investment on their part. »
Quite simply, certain events are more likely than others to attract the public… and especially the press. Attendance at the Château de Tours would thus be most dependent on media coverage, and in particular that of the national press. For Letizia Battaglia, this was very significant (Telerama, The WorldFrance Culture…) auguring a very good result. At the same time, the city of Tours is working on a project around street art, to complement what has been offered in this area for several years in the city. “It will be a big exhibition of French collectors” reveals the chosen one, also with exterior frescoes. To discover at the end of the year.
Thus, in 2025, Tours hopes to come close to or even reach 200,000 admissions to its various museums, by accentuating various initiatives launched in recent months such as co-production work with establishments in other cities, strengthening accessibility (via explanations in Braille for example) and the continuation of initiatives in favor of children, for example via the Arts at School program.
One more degree:
Visible since the summer in front of the Château de Tours, monumental sculptures by Lochois artists François Sueur and Jérôme Garreau have just been acquired by the municipality. Pegasus and the herons will therefore remain on the banks of the Loire and near the monument, forming a sort of welcome for Loire à Vélo tourists or visitors.
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