Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The project of a Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Strasbourg emerged from the 1960s, but it was not until 1973 that its collections, originally housed in the Rohan Palace, were transferred to the Ancienne Douane. This fund was enriched by the Arp family, which left some thirty major works by Jean Arp and Sophie Taeuber-Arp between 1920 and 1973, resolutely directing the museum towards modernity. An ambitious acquisition policy is in place, preparing the construction of a dedicated building, decided in 1987 by the City.

The MAMCS finally opened in 1998, becoming a pillar of the Strasbourg cultural landscape. His 18,000 works, covering the period 1870 to the present, explore key movements such as Impressionism, Abstraction, Fluxus or Arte Povera. The museum is distinguished by ensembles unique in France, including contemporary German paintings (Baselitz, Penck) and an exceptional background around Gustave Doré and ancient photography.

Designed by the AFA and Adrien Fainsilber Architectural Workshops, the building revolves around a central nave, an "inner street" distributing exhibition spaces, auditorium and library. Upstairs, four rooms house the permanent collections of contemporary art. With 5,000 m2 dedicated to works, MAMCS embodies a desire to democratize modern and contemporary art in Europe, while sanctuating into Alsatian artistic history.

Among its assets, the museum highlights the donations of the Arp family, the ensemble dedicated to Gustave Doré, and a collection of remarkable old photographs. Its geographical positioning, oriented towards Europe, and its specialization in the avant-gardes of the 20th century make it an essential actor of the French museum network, labeled Musée de France.

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