Two New Museums Open in France: MusVerre in Calais and Museum Bonnat-Helleu in Bayonne

Two new museums have opened in France. The most expensive project, MusVerre, inaugurated in October in Sars-Poteries near Calais, focuses on glass art with contemporary exhibitions and residencies. Designed by Raphaël Voinchet and W-Architectures, the building spans over 3,400 m², including 1,000 m² of exhibition space (up from 120 m²), and cost €13 million. Meanwhile, the Museum Bonnat-Helleu in Bayonne is undergoing a major renovation and expansion, doubling its current 2,000 m² to four levels. The project includes new galleries, offices, documentation spaces, shops, cafés, and restaurants, and will pedestrianize rue Jacques Laffitte. The museum houses 7,000 works by masters such as Raphael, Leonardo, Michelangelo, El Greco, Dürer, Rubens, Goya, Ingres, Géricault, and Delacroix.