THE COLLECTIONS

BEYOND THE HORIZONS

On the banks of the docks in Bordeaux, the Musée Mer Marine advances the silhouette of its bow in a former working-class district on the banks of the Garonne at the heart of the maritime history of this city which was, in the 19th century, one of the largest ports in Europe.

It is called a museum because it houses a wide variety of collections and aims to preserve and transmit this historical heritage. It is also a place of exchange and contemplation in an exceptional set of exhibition rooms, which give pride of place to art from all periods.

Art can be found in the forms of shipbuilding as well as in the imagination and daily life of sailors.

A MUSEUM OF ART AND NAVIGATION HISTORY

GF & 1st Floor

As soon as human beings ventured out to sea, the sea became a vector of their stories. As an exploration ground, it has carried his desire for conquest, his technical challenges and his thirst for knowledge. An object of fantasies and superstitions, it has been populated by divinities and fabulous monsters. As a transport network, it has enabled exchanges between civilisations, trade and the mixing of cultures. As a nurturing mother, it has run out of steam in a large-scale exploitation that today threatens the future of humanity.

Over nearly 5,000 m2 of exhibition space, the Musée Mer Marine relates a universal history of navigation, from prehistory to the present day, recalling the military epics that changed the course of history, the expeditions that served to complete the maps and encyclopaedias, and the technical prowess that enabled the construction of ships that were ever more efficient or more luxurious in their equipment.

The contemporary art of each period, from sculpture to painting, photography and model making, is associated with this narrative. For beyond the great naval battles and technical progress, the human adventure on the sea is a history of art and culture: through the objects that sailors brought back from their voyages, that artists copied, that amateurs accumulated in their cabinets of curiosities; through the decorations displayed on ships of all periods for aesthetic, religious or political reasons; through the reports compiled by the great explorers in atlases, scientific drawings or photographic works; through the crafts developed by sailors from all over the world, who combined a real artistic know-how with their knowledge about navigation and the oceans; through the works inspired by the beauty of the sea, the representations that surround it and the desire to preserve it. These visual and aesthetic witnesses to the mentality and imagination of an era can be found throughout the historical journey of the Musée Mer Marine.

A MUSEUM OF OCEAN DISCOVERY

2nd floor

Discovering the world from the ocean!

This last part of the permanent exhibition is based on a systematic confrontation between art and science. The visitor discovers the evolution of the oceans from their formation to the present day, and is led to place his/her own existence in the massive history of the marine world, its flora and fauna, nowadays threatened by human activity.
Between extinct species and species threatened with extinction, the visitor discovers the beauty and fragility of the marine ecosystem, and is also offered solutions for its preservation. The works of contemporary artists who are sensitive to the cause of the oceans enliven this oceanographic journey and offer an immediate reading that complements the scientific discourse.