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Origin and history

The Arts and History Museum of Bormes-les-Mimosas was founded in 1926 by the painter Emmanuel-Charles Bénézit, who preserved it until 1981. Initially housed in the municipal council hall of the town hall, he organized his first exhibition from 28 March to 11 April 1926 at the Lou Calen foyer, bringing together about thirty artists. It was only in 1985 that the museum was inaugurated in its present location, a 17th century house on Carnot Street (former rue des Fours), with Georges-Henri Pescadère as a new curator.

The house housing the museum has a complex history: part of a medieval building divided between several owners, it successively served as a school for boys (from 1672), as a town hall, a court and even a prison until 1895. His state of disrepair, mentioned in 1788, delayed his renovation despite the growing needs (school, justice). In 1978, the municipality purchased the building from Mrs. Taïeb, widow Metzger, before restoring it in 1982 with the help of the association Sauveau du Vieux-Bormes, founded by Pescadère.

The museum, temporarily closed for work, is scheduled to reopen in the 3rd quarter of 2022. It houses a permanent collection of paintings and sculptures from the 19th to 20th centuries, as well as ancient ex-votos. Temporary exhibitions are held there from April to October. The building, classified as Museum of France, illustrates the evolution of a medieval common house in a cultural place, reflecting Bormes' tourist and artistic history, built as a climate station in 1913.

Prior to its museum vocation, the site had a variety of uses: an entomologist's laboratory (captures of insects via sheets stretched to the windows), property of wealthy buyers attracted by the tourist boom, or occasional seat of the justice of the peace of Collobrières (once a month after 1895). The current town hall-school, inaugurated in 1892 Place Saint-François, permanently replaced its administrative functions.

The association Sauvement du Vieux-Bormes, created by Pescadère, played a key role in preserving the local heritage, especially during the restoration of the 1980s. Today the museum continues this mission by valuing regional art and communal history, from its judicial and academic origins to its contemporary cultural influence.

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