Museum of Arles and Provence Antiques

The missions of a museum are based above all on its collections, on the way they are made available to the public via a permanent display or temporary exhibitions and on their safeguarding for future generations. This is the main objective of conservation professionals who, in the 1st place, inventory the collections to ensure that each object has a clear status. Preserving a collection means setting up a climate control system, prepping the works of art to reduce the handling risks as much as possible, regularly monitoring the condition of the works of art and ensuring traceability so that each movement of an object is recorded. Preservation means sometimes resorting to the restoration treatments necessary for the preservation of collections, following strict professional ethics.

Conservation also means knowing and studying. The conservation department therefore ensures the documentation of the collections by gathering as much information as possible on the objects and entrusting their study to researchers. This work allows us to constantly renew and deepen the discourse proposed in the museum and in publications conducted by the department. Preserving a collection is to bring it to life and enrich it. The Musée départemental Arles antique is developing a strong acquisition policy based on the archaeological discoveries made on the territory of Arles and on the purchase or the donation of objects related to the city’s ancient past. It distributes its collections thanks to high quality photographic coverage and 3D digitization of many pieces.

The conservation department also administers the policy of loans granted to partner institutions that promote Arlesian heritage across Europe. In return, it ensures the realisation of international exhibitions.