Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Museum of the Afffiche originated from Gustave Dutailly's exceptional legacy in 1905, which offered the city of Chaumont nearly 5,000 historical posters. This fund, enriched by 27 editions of the International Poster and Graphic Design Festival since 1990, was first kept at the Maison du livre et de l'affiche (now a media library) from November 1994. This temporary place allowed to preserve and exhibit this unique collection, while laying the foundations for a cultural policy dedicated to graphic arts.

In 2017, the city of Chaumont inaugurated the Signe, the national centre of graphic design, an ambitious cultural equipment designed to permanently house the collection. This project was part of a process of heritage rehabilitation, transforming the former Banque de France de Chaumont and extending through a contemporary architecture signed by Moatti-Rivière. The Signe's mission has since been to manage and value this heritage, while promoting graphic design as a major discipline.

The museum's collection covers various fields, from decorative arts to modern and contemporary art, to technical and industrial history. Its asset lies in its thematic specialization, rare in France, and its anchoring in a territory marked by a recognized international festival. The building itself, combining 19th century banking heritage and modern extension, symbolizes this duality between tradition and innovation.

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