Franco-american Museum of Blérancourt
An art and history museum, whose initial purpose was based on the friendship between France and the United States, countries sharing the ideals of liberty, independence, democracy and respect for human beings. The Franco-American Museum strives to highlight these mutual relations and influences.
History of the castle
Built in 1612 for Bernard Potier de Gesvres by the French architect Salomon de Brosse, creator of the Luxembourg Palace in Paris, Blérancourt castle was declared a national asset and was sold in 1792. Damaged during World War I, only the pavilions, entrance gates, some communal areas and the bridge survived.
In 1917 the castle served as headquarters for the civilian division of the American Fund for French Wounded, which in 1918 under the directorship of Anne Morgan became the American Committee for Devastated France, a relief organisation for civilians. The association of the friends of Blérancourt, founded in 1923 by Anne Morgan and Anne Murray Dike restored the premises that now house the Museum of Franco-American Cooperation. In 1929 the friends of Blérancourt renovated a wing of the former castle, which in 1930 became a memorial to French support of the American War of Independence, while in 1938 the Volunteers’ Pavilion commemorated the American volunteers in France during World War I.
The idea of Anne Morgan (1873-1952), daughter of the famous New York banker and patron John Pierpont-Morgan, was to create a history museum celebrating the support provided by the French during the American War of Independence, and in return American support for France during World War I. In the 1990s Pierre Rosenberg extended the scope to include artistic and cultural exchanges. After the construction in 1989 of a new exhibition space for artistic works, designed by Yves Lion and Alan Lewitt, a project to extend and modernise the space led to the reopening in July 2017 of an entirely renovated museum. The scenography was entrusted to Adrien Gardère, scenographer of the Louvre-Lens museum. The project integrates the archaeological remains that were discovered during the renovation work.
The ongoing exchanges between both countries are developed around three main themes. The sections of Ideals, Ordeals (wars and conflicts) and the Arts allow visitors to appreciate the importance of cultivating the values to which our two countries are attached, in order to constantly evolve in the context of globalisation.