The Albert Kahn Museum in Boulogne-Billancourt reopens its huge collection of autochrome color photographs to the public

After years of work, we will finally be able to see the fabulous autochromes (color photographs) of Albert Kahn. The Albert Kahn departmental museum, dedicated to the collection of images of the philanthropic banker who sent operators to the four corners of the planet at the beginning of the 20th century, was to reopen its doors in Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine) on Saturday 2 April in a very successful building, designed by the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, facing the marvelous gardens imagined by Albert Kahn.

The new, elongated building is designed “like a screen and a link between the city and the garden”underlines Nathalie Doury, the director of the Albert Kahn museum. “The new building project was carried out to protect the exceptional garden. It was about managing a transition from the city to the garden. We try to make people forget the city. And it was very important for us to offer a building , which nevertheless has three floors, which can be integrated into the garden”, explains Jordi Vinyals, architect responsible for the project. The facade is surrounded by wood and metal slats that filter the light, inspired by traditional Japanese houses, oriented in a different way and designed to “create a vibe”.

The museum offers a permanent tour dedicated to the collection of autochromes and films from the Archives of the Planet put together by Albert Kahn, on the ground floor, which extends into the smaller historic buildings scattered around the gardens. It also offers, on the first floor, a space dedicated to temporary exhibitions, as well as a documentation center, an auditorium and a space dedicated to educational workshops.

“The project of the philanthropic banker is at the heart of the museum project, we rely on his work to look at the world of today”, explains Nathalie Doury. The banker’s ambition was to “develop mutual knowledge of cultures to promote peace and progress”.

The permanent exhibition space is bordered by an “inventory wall” which immediately immerses us in the archives of Albert Kahn, representative of the entire collection, and which offers thousands of images from around the world. Since the first inventory number, one image out of 26 has been selected automatically. These are obviously replicas of the original autochrome plates, too fragile to be exhibited. These first color photographs, with soft hues and such a particular grain, were made with potato starch.

The museum proposes an evocation of the character of Albert Kahn (1860-1940), son of traders in Alsatian cattle who made his fortune thanks to investments in the mines of South Africa and the development of a banking network, and worked for his ideals through a series of foundations.

The banker had thousands of people photographed. These portraits evoke his social life and the very varied networks he frequented. “He invited the intelligentsia to his gardens, especially on Sunday afternoons”says David Sean Thomas, heritage conservation officer and exhibition manager at the museum. “There were also many diplomats, politicians who worked for pacifism, the aristocracy, artists, men of science.”

From 1909 (and until 1931), Albert Kahn, who had himself traveled a lot for his business, therefore sent a dozen operators to some fifty countries to capture the different cultural realities in images. The result is a hundred hours of animated film, 4,000 black and white stereoscopies and the largest collection of autochromes in the world, 72,000.

The collection is approached through four themes: travel and wonder at the beauty of the world, geography and the meticulous observation of geology, the evolution of techniques and transport. Ethnology, with the observation of traditional costumes, ceremonies. And then the news of this beginning of the 20th century, from the First World War to social movements: Albert Kahn asks his operators to seize them without bias. “He wanted to record the world in its neutrality and from a documentary point of view. To constitute these archives for the future, for future generations, so that they can benefit from this knowledge to build a more just and peaceful society”, points out David Sean Thomas.

The permanent route also offers an opening on the contemporary, with a series of interviews with academics or artists such as the Cambodian documentary filmmaker Rithy Panh, on the nature, status and use of images.

On the first floor, the first temporary exhibition is devoted to travel. It starts from the one carried out by Albert Kahn around the world in 1908-1909, following which he launched his project of Archives of the Planet. He travels with his driver Albert Dutertre, trained in shooting, who returns with images and a notebook recounting their journey. The exhibition offers a broader reflection on the representation of travel since the beginning of the 20th century.

Also on the first floor, a totally free area, called “Family Lounge”, offers games, publications, a cabin where you can have your portrait taken, a space for viewing film extracts and a replica camera the old one with a crank that we can experiment with.

Finally, good news, Nathalie Doury announces the forthcoming opening of a portal on which one will be able to see and above all download (it is allowed and even encouraged, she says) all the digitized images of the Archives of the Planet (approximately 60,000 ) in 2000 x 3000 pixels under CCO license. It is, she says, “prolong this idea of ​​sharing knowledge with a wide audience”

Albert Kahn Departmental Museum
2, rue du Port, 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt
Every day except Monday, from October 1 to March 21 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., from April 1 to September 30 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
prices: €8 / €5
From April 2. Free access on reservation the weekend of reopening.