Musée de l'Armée
The Army Museum
Paris, France
2024
Formed in 1905 from the merger of two military museums, the Army Museum (Musée de l’Armée) has built a vast collection of around 500,000 items. These include not only armor, uniforms and weapons, but a host of sculptures, paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, publications and private archives. Together, these collections tell us a story of military history from ancient to modern, through the lenses of history, science, technology, fine arts and society.
In the past, the Museum has itself experienced the impact of war. Some of its collections were evacuated for safekeeping during the Siege of Paris in 1870, and the Museum was looted by occupying Germans during the Second World War. Many items were subsequently recovered after the end of hostilities in 1945.
Goppion has worked previously with the Army Museum on their Departement Moderne galleries in the East Wing, which reopened to the public in 2010 after a decade of renovations. In 2024 we were invited back to collaborate with the Museum team, architect Pierre Dufour, and designers Helft & Pinta, during the current, ongoing modernizations campaign, dubbed the Minerva Project.
This major transformation project aims to enrich the Museum’s cultural offer by opening new permanent exhibition areas, improve the visitor reception experience, and reconfigure its logistics areas. It is expected to reach completion by 2030, and the new gallery experiences will have a 21st-century take on exploring different aspects of global military history, including the impact and far-reaching consequences of colonialism.
In the current phase, we provided and installed eight new Qv showcases, including five free-standing and three wall-standing cases.
Image © Celia Uhalde
Image © Celia Uhalde
Our Qv display cases are noted for their highly customizable design. For this project, one free-standing showcase has been radically changed to meet specific curatorial needs. Instead of having a single door and a trolley for access from three sides, it has been given greater strength and access from all four sides by constructing a large lifting bell on screws, driven by an inverter-controlled electric motor.
Elsewhere, cords were required to support very delicate and heavy paintings, and these are held in tension by counterweights. A steel cable covered in a textile outer layer was used, in order to have an appropriate heritage appearance, but still provide the required long-lasting, certified mechanical characteristics.
Image © Celia Uhalde
Image © Celia Uhalde
Additionally, during the three-month installation period, Goppion also provided some stainless steel and cement flooring for the new display cases.
Through close collaboration with the Army Museum team, architects, and designers, Goppion is proud to have contributed to this revitalized space that not only preserves the past but also engages and educates future generations. Our work ensures that the Museum’s unique collections are displayed securely and beautifully, enhancing the visitor experience for years to come.
Image © Celia Uhalde