Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Albert-Kahn department museum, located in Boulogne-Billancourt in the Hauts-de-Seine, is a unique ensemble combining a museum and landscaped gardens. Created by the banker and philanthropist Albert Kahn between 1895 and 1931, this place preserves the "Archives de la Planète", an exceptional collection of 72,000 autochromes, 100 hours of films and 4,000 stereoscopic plates, illustrating the cultural and geographical diversity of the early twentieth century. The gardens, stretching over almost four hectares, represent varied landscapes (Japanese, French, English, Vosges) and symbolize Kahn's pacifist ideal, which believed in universal peace through the understanding of cultures.

The gardens were designed with the help of landscapers Henri and Achille Duchêne, as well as Japanese artisans for the village and tea pavilion. Between 1909 and 1931, Kahn sent photographic operators to some 60 countries to document the planet, creating an unparalleled visual memory. After the 1929 crisis and the bankruptcy of his bank in 1932, the property was seized and acquired by the prefecture of the Seine in 1936. The gardens were opened to the public in 1937, and the Archives of the Planet were preserved thanks to the commitment of conservatives such as Georges Chevalier and Marguerite Magné de Lalonde.

In 1968, the Hauts-de-Seine department became the owner of the site, ensuring its conservation and development. Jeanne Beausoleil, director from 1974 to 2003, carried out a major work of restoration and valorisation of collections, transforming the establishment into an official museum in 1986. In 1990, an exhibition gallery of 650 m2 was opened, and in 2015 the entire estate (gardens, houses, pavilions) was included in the inventory of historical monuments. The Planet Archives were registered in UNESCO's World Memory Register in 2025, recognizing their outstanding heritage value.

Between 2016 and 2022, major renovations were carried out under the direction of architect Kengo Kuma, including the construction of a new 2,300 m2 exhibition building. The museum reopened in April 2022 with a modernized itinerary, an auditorium, a documentation centre and spaces dedicated to temporary exhibitions and families. The garden, closed from 2016 to 2019, was restored and reopened during the European Heritage Days in 2019. Today, the Albert Kahn Museum remains a major place to discover the world's cultures and to reflect on the pacifist utopia of its founder.

The site attracts a large audience, with 143,447 visitors in 2010, making it the most visited monument of the Hauts-de-Seine. The temporary exhibitions explore various themes, from the regions of the world to the unknown aspects of Albert Kahn's work. A contemporary photography festival, "Allers Retours", has been organized since 2012, bringing historical archives into dialogue with current creations. The museum and its gardens continue to bear witness to Kahn's humanistic vision, while being part of a contemporary cultural and heritage dynamic.

External links