Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Musée du Grand Siècle is an ambitious cultural project intended to settle in the former royal barracks of Saint-Cloud in the Hauts-de-Seine. Planned to open in 2026, it will offer a complete panorama of the French civilization of the long seventeenth century (1590-1725), from Henry IV to the Regency. This departmental museum will be part of the continuation of the national museums dedicated to the Middle Ages (Cluny) and the Renaissance (Écouen), highlighting various collections: paintings, sculptures, furniture, engravings, medals and art objects. The works will come in particular from the Rosenberg donation, centered on 17th century art, as well as from national deposits and departmental acquisitions.

The project will be structured around three complementary entities. The Grand Century Museum will adopt a thematic and educational approach to illustrate the history and art of this pivotal period. The collector's office will exhibit the entire Pierre Rosenberg collection (paintings, drawings, Venetian glasses) in intimate spaces, reflecting the spirit of the patron. Finally, the Nicolas Poussin research centre, located in the Officers' Pavilion, will house a drawing firm, the donor's library (50,000 books) and workspaces dedicated to the study of the Great Century. Documentation will be fully digitized.

The Mission of Prefiguration, created in 2019 and attached to the Department of Hauts-de-Seine, leads this project over five years. Its missions include designing the scientific and cultural project (SCP), building collections (donation processing, deposits, acquisitions), and defining the museum program and architectural monitoring. Located in Sceaux (Petit château), she collaborates with the departmental directorates (Culture, Buildings) and the Pierre Rosenberg endowment fund. The museum will be labeled Musée de France and will be part of the historical heritage of the Domaine de Saint-Cloud, an emblematic site of the Île-de-France region.

The aim is to create a unique place combining conservation, research and mediation, while establishing links between works to restore the spirit of a major era of French art. The museum bias is based on thematic presentations and dynamic clashes, especially in the collector's office, where the rotation of drawings will allow a renewed discovery of the treasures of the Rosenberg collection.

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