Frequently asked questions - The Mucem collections
The Mucem Collections
Why is there an OM soccer in the collections?
“As far as sport is concerned, Mucem mainly preserves evidence of what we might call “pre-sports”, i.e. traditional games such as soule, which can be considered one of the ancestors of soccer and rugby. We also preserve objects and documents relating to nautical jousting, archery and Breton wrestling.
This theme opens up to the contemporary with a collection acquired in 1998, relating to the communication campaign organized by FIFA for the France 98 soccer World Cup.
We should also mention the survey-collection carried out on board sports in the 2000s, which led to the acquisition of objects related to surfing and, above all, skateboarding, both from the point of view of street practice and competitive practice. In particular, this work has led to the acquisition of archives on skateboarding and its development in France between 1970 and 1980. Today, longboards, medals and awards, and even a Tony Hawk board, can be found in the museum’s reserves at the Centre de Conservation et de Ressources (Conservation and Resource Centre) at La Belle-de-Mai.
Today, the museum’s acquisition policy is once again focused on the Mediterranean’s most popular sport: soccer. Thanks to a survey-collection program on the theme of “Football & identities” and acquisitions on the art market or from collectors, Mucem is building up a genuine heritage relating to the popular culture that accompanies soccer in the Mediterranean.
In fact, we’re always on the lookout for objects from fans or professional footballers. We’re interested in the personal stories behind objects from the world of soccer: through scarves, balls, photographs, shirts, press articles, it’s really the meaning that people invest in them that we consider to be heritage.”
Florent Molle, heritage curator at Mucem, in charge of the Sport & Health department
Why does Mucem keep textiles in its collections?
It’s a little-known fact, but Mucem’s textile collection is gigantic: it comprises over 30,000 objects. Marina Zveguinzoff explains what’s interesting and rare in this part of the collection.
The Mucem textile collection is immense. There are a few rare pieces, of course, but “moving” would be a more appropriate adjective.
It comprises three collections:
-The collection of the former Musée des Arts et Traditions Populaires is made up of French regional costumes, headdresses, work clothes and also body and household linen.
-The Musée de l’Homme collections, which the Mucem has held since 2005, are made up of costumes from Europe, particularly the Balkans.
-New acquisitions since the 2000s have focused more on the Mediterranean.The oldest pieces date back to the 18th century, and are exceptional because textiles are so fragile. The conservation of books and papers is a well-known challenge: the conservation of textiles is an equally delicate one, full of interest and fascinating techniques.
Textiles were expensive until the 1970s. Items in good condition were often reused to make a new outfit or accessory, so nothing was lost. That’s why there are few original pieces left in their entirety. And it’s often the reverse side of a garment that reveals the greatest fantasy, with an assemblage of small pieces of “rare and ancient” salvaged fabric.
Marina Zveguinzoff, collections and research manager at Mucem’s “Bodies, Appearance and Sexuality” department
How does Mucem preserve its edible collections?
Because of the richness and diversity of its collection, Mucem sometimes encounters very specific conservation problems, not often encountered by other museums. For example, it may have to deal with the conservation of objects made from perishable materials, including edible ones such as bread. Several examples of decorated breads are on display in the Galerie de la Méditerranée. This type of material is particularly sensitive to variations in climate (temperature and humidity) and to attack by micro-organisms (mold and insects). In addition to climate control, special attention is paid to monitoring this type of collection, both in storage and on display. Objects are meticulously examined to note any signs of infestation. If an object is found to be infested, or if any doubt arises, the piece is immediately isolated and treated. This involves enclosing the object in a hermetically sealed bubble, extracting the oxygen and replacing it for three weeks with nitrogen, an inert gas that will suffocate the pests. Another possible treatment is to freeze the objects, as the cold will stop the infestation developing. At the end of each treatment, the objects are dusted by micro-aspiration to eliminate any residues that might encourage the infestation to start up again. For the most sensitive materials, such as wax or grease, the Mucem conservation center has cold chambers enabling objects to be kept in storage.
Émilie Girard, Mucem Curator and Director of the Collections Department
How does an object enter the Mucem?
Every new object added to the Musem’s collections is the result of collegial decisions. Whether it’s a donation or a purchase, each acquisition project is first presented by a member of the museum’s scientific team at an initial meeting called the “acquisitions committee”. In the presence of the object so that everyone can examine it, the person responsible for the file explains the interest of the proposed object, from a historical, aesthetic, heritage and/or cultural point of view, argues for its purchase price where appropriate, and describes its state of conservation.
Following a positive decision by this body, the archive and library holdings are integrated into the collections.
A second body, the “acquisitions commission”, meets three times a year, with members of the Mucem team and professionals from other museums, curators, experts and restorers in attendance.
These bodies discuss the following issues:
Scientific and heritage interest :
What are the object’s ethnographic, historical and artistic values in relation to the Mucem collections, and more broadly to French public collections? Is the object part of an individual or collective history? Are there similar or comparable objects in other French public collections, in order to limit duplication or pass on the proposal to a museum more likely to conserve it?
Material analysis and conservation :
Does material analysis of the object guarantee its authenticity? Do the nature of the materials and the condition of the object allow for its long-term preservation? What equipment is needed to store, transport and display the object?
Property rights and distribution :
Have all the legal owners of the object been identified and informed of the acquisition? Does public distribution of the object require authorisation from the author under the intellectual and artistic property code?
At the end of the presentation, a secret ballot is held. Finally, when objects exceed a certain value threshold set by decree, they must be presented to the “Conseil artistique des musées nationaux”, which meets in Paris. Objects that receive a favorable opinion at the end of this process become de facto part of the collection and are entered in the inventory. They thus become inalienable, i.e. they must be kept indefinitely.
Between six and eight committees and three commissions are held each year, in January, April and September.
How did the collections travel between Paris and Marseille?
The museum’s collections were the subject of a “chantier des collections”. They were collected, dusted, marked, photographed and, in some cases, restored before being packaged. Packaging materials were chosen for their neutrality, to avoid any alteration. Each object was bar-coded and traced on data processing software dedicated to the movement of collections. It was also individually wrapped, crated and palletized according to the type of one of the seventeen storerooms to which it was to be transferred in Marseille. In this way, unpacking was made easier, as each object had been previously identified as being destined for a particular reserve in the Mucem Conservation and Resource Centre. The convoys transferring the collections from Paris to Marseille were carried out between September 2012 and July 2013. At the departure and arrival of each truck, a steward checked the truck’s loading and unloading using the traceability tool. In all, 160 semi-trailers were needed to carry out this operation. In some cases, a crane had to be used to load very large parts.
Marie-Charlotte Calafat, Assistant to the Collections and Documentary Resources Department of the Mucem Conservation and Resource Centre
Where do the Mucem collections come from?
Heir to the Musée national des Arts et Traditions Populaires, Mucem is a museum of Mediterranean and European society. In 1881, the Musée d’ethnographie du Trocadéro began to take stock of its collections. In 1937, the newly-created Musée National des Arts et Traditions Populaires (National Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions) continued to expand the collections of France’s national heritage. For over 60 years, the museum carried out intellectual projects, surveys, collections and even archaeological excavations. The collections preserved are the fruit of this research and collection work. The MnATP collection, which is preserved and promoted by the Mucem, comes from all regions of France. The Musée de l’Homme’s Europe collection, deposited with the Mucem in 2005, enables us to extend our collections to the whole of Europe. The entire European continent is represented in the Musée de l’Homme’s collections. Since the early 2000s, Mucem’s teams have also been making acquisitions from the Mediterranean area for over 10 years, helping to broaden the museum’s field of expertise and open it up to geographical areas that were previously little represented.
Marie-Charlotte Calafat, Assistant to the Collections and Documentary Resources Department of the Mucem Conservation and Resource Centre
What's a piece of the Berlin Wall doing in the Mucem collections?
Berlin, occupied by Allied forces in 1945, was divided into two blocks, then separated by a long, high wall from August 15, 1961 to November 9, 1989. Many East Berliners lost their lives trying to cross over to the West. The wall remains the symbolic trace of this period. Although the entire wall has been demolished, Berlin has preserved part of it, the East Side Gallery.
This section, donated to the Mucem by the Senate of the City of Berlin, is part of the third phase of construction of the wall, the Grenzmauer 75, “border wall 75”, decided in 1974, and made up of 3.6 m-high prefabricated blocks with an integrated 1.2 m-wide base. On the west side, artists came to create their works in protest against this infringement of the freedom of movement enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Frédéric Mougenot curator at the Mucem, in charge of the Domestic Life section
Can I visit the Mucem reserves?
Yes, all Mucem collections are housed in the Conservation and Resource Center (CCR).
Tours of this building are organized every first Tuesday of the month, between 2pm and 5pm.
Reservation required. Each tour is limited to a maximum of 20 people.
DiscoverFor further information, please contact us at the following e-mail address: reservationccr@mucem.org