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The Albert-Kahn museum reopens after six years

Just outside the Paris city limits in Boulogne-Billancourt (but with a metro station two minutes away), the amazing Albert Kahn Museum has just reopened after six years of remodelling, including a magnificent and much bigger building designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, and renovation of the jaw-dropping gardens…

We visited the Albert Kahn Museum and its wonderful gardens for the blog… back in 2009! We absolutely loved the place then, and when people ask us to recommend something that many tourists don’t generally see, this is high on the list (plus, it has almost endless Instagram-friendly opportunities!)

To refresh your memory, Albert Kahn (1860-1940) was a banker and philanthropist who sent teams out on voyages around the world in the early twentieth century to photograph and film a world that was fast changing and disappearing for ever. Kahn called these images ‘the Archives of the Planet’.

While the archive grew in size, so did Kahn’s garden – thanks to his wealth, he was able to buy the houses surrounding his own and expand his garden over and over, filling it with plants, trees and flowers brought back from around the world.

The museum and gardens are very much worth visiting – it’s a trip not only back in time, but also around the world, and after six years of work that have radically transformed the place, a return visit is in order even if you’ve been before.

Ouverture du nouveau Musée Albert-Kahn
© CD92 / Julia Brechler

The new museum is five times bigger than before 😳 and offer not only a permanent collection of astonishing autochromes (the first colour images) and films, but also temporary exhibitions.

At the moment, and until 13th Novembre 2022, the temporary presentation is called Autour du Monde (Around the World), with images form the museum’s collections (as well as works lent by nine other institutions), with:

— 570m² of exhibition space for which you’ll need around 2 hours to visit

— nearly 400 images and 14 films covering 28 countries

— works from 11 contemporary artists, and

— a presentation that took three months to complete.

You’ll find more info about the exhibition here, and the catalogue is available for 20€ here at your local Amazon.

Catalogue - Autour du Monde, musée Albert-Kahn
Ouverture du nouveau Musée Albert-Kahn
© CD92 / Julia Brechler
Ouverture du nouveau Musée Albert-Kahn
© CD92 / Julia Brechler

So now’s the time to go back and see the brand new Albert Kahn Museum, admire the gorgeous new building and explore the gardens before or after your visit!

Ouverture du nouveau Musée Albert-Kahn
© CD92 / Julia Brechler

The Albert Kahn Museum (here) is open every day except Mondays from 11am-6pm (7pm April-September)

Admission: 8€ / 5€

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