Musée d’Histoire et d’Art: a century of history and passion in Bormes
For its 100th anniversary, the Musée d'Histoire et d'Art de Bormes inaugurates an exhibition and officialises its future Centre d'Art project.
To mark the centenary of the Musée d’Histoire et d’Art (MHAB), the Municipality inaugurated the anniversary exhibition "Bormes, Couleurs d’un siècle" during the Nuit européenne des musées, a moment chosen for its symbolic and unifying character.
In the museum's garden, the mayor, surrounded by municipal and departmental elected officials, the constituency's MP, sponsors, and many residents, retraced the history of the institution and unveiled the ambitions to promote local heritage.
A museum born of passion
The museum was created in 1926, originally located in the town hall's Council chamber. Its creation was the result of the vision of the artist and art historian Emmanuel-Charles Bénézit, the first curator, supported by the mayor of the time, Léon Chommeton. The latter then described the institution as "modest in appearance, but grandiose in the purpose it proposes."
“A century later, this sentence still sums up the spirit of the MHAB. Our predecessors felt that art and history were essential to our town. It is this precious heritage, now modernized, immersive, and modular, that we have a duty to pass on,” emphasized François Arizzi.
Over the decades, the museum grew under the impulse of passionate curators, such as Georges-Henri Pescadère in the 1980s. In 1985, it took up its permanent quarters at 103 rue Carnot, in a superb 17th-century building which was successively a prison, a court, and a school, saved from ruin by the antique dealer Léon Metzger.
A turning point was reached in 2022 with a major renovation. Awarded the “musée de France” label since 2003, the MHAB houses an exceptional collection that was enriched by a major work, acquired in March 2026. This new purchase brings the labeled collection to 206 pieces, including 194 from the municipal collection.
Centre d'Art
In his speech, the mayor thanked institutions such as the Musée d’Orsay, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and the Mobilier national. He praised the many lending museums (Hyères-les-Palmiers, Grenoble, Saint-Tropez, Toulon, La Garde, Pontoise) and the Galerie de la Présidence.
The involvement of sponsors – the Deleval, Piersanti, and Ferrari families, and the company Azur Communication – as well as that of the fifty or so local families who contributed to the exhibition was also praised.
A tribute was paid to the museum team, led by its director Laury Mourosque, to the deputy for culture Cathy Casellato, and to the technical services managed by Mathieu Raguenau.
A project for the future
The centenary is only a milestone. The exhibition "Bormes, couleurs d’un siècle" will be completed this winter by the publication of the museum's first art catalogue.
Finally, the mayor formalized the major cultural project to come: the transformation of the Maison Jacob into a Centre d’Art. This ambitious project, for which studies are well underway, is expected to be completed within 18 months.
An announcement that confirms the desire to place art and craftsmanship at the heart of the life of the village, certified "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France".
Article from the print edition of La Gazette du Var