Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Goupil Museum was founded in 1991 in Bordeaux thanks to the donation of Guy and Gabrielle Imberti in 1987, who donated the photographic fonds of the Goupil House, an active Parisian art publisher from 1827 to 1920. The city completed this collection by acquiring engraved prints and coppers from the same house. Unlike traditional museums, it does not have permanent exhibition and functions as a graphic art firm, accessible only to researchers and students by appointment.

The Goupil Museum's collections cover three main areas: prints, photographs and archives. They also include technical equipment (engraved copper, lithographed stones, glass negatives) used to produce these images. This collection offers a panorama of 19th-century art and reproduction techniques, ranging from ancient masters to academic painting, including Auguste Rodin's drawings and photographs of Louis Rousselet's journey to India.

The documentary value of these collections is of great importance: they allow to find missing or dispersed works and illustrate the beginnings of the global distribution of images. The museum thus preserves the memory of the first steps of the cultural industry, when the art reproductions began to circulate on a large scale. This fund is labeled Musée de France and administratively depends on the museum of Aquitaine.

Located at the 20 Cours Pasteur in Bordeaux, the Goupil Museum is managed by the city, in the department of Gironde (New Aquitaine region). Its exact address and coordinates are referenced in the Museofile database under the Insee 33063 code. Although its location is approximate (accuracy noted 5/10), it remains a reference point for the study of iconography and 19th century reproduction techniques.

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