Behind the scenes at MAD in Paris

When fellow committee member Jo Banham and I hatched a plan to make a day trip to Paris to see the Ruhlmann décorateur exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (reviewed on this site recently) we had no idea what additional riches we would get to see.

At the kind invitation of curator and conservator Marion Neveu and interim museum director Bénédicte Gady, we were not only given a private guided tour of the excellent exhibition but also taken behind the scenes to view the extensive storerooms which house over 400,000 wallpapers and related objects.

Curator Marion Neveu (L) talks to Jo Banham

The exhibition, where we started, is displayed in an architect-designed gallery cleverly repurposed from being a space previously used for public consultation and reference. With incredibly ingenious desks whose lids can be lifted in order to become display cases, the room is now a useful multipurpose facility allowing for consultations, smaller exhibitions and seminars.

In the multipurpose room, desks have been designed to convert into display cases

The MAD team has been able to undertake extensive research into Ruhlmann thanks to the 26 sketchbooks bequeathed by his widow and numerous notebooks containing his research notes alongside sketches and paintings. Among the highlights of the exhibition are some of the 40 drawings he made between 1912 and 1932 for wallpaper manufacturer Desfossé & Karth. These were acquired in 1982 along with the collection of Isidore Leroy, the man who invented the means of printing wallpaper on a continuous roll, propelling the industry through a technological revolution.

Marion shows Jo the racking system

Feeling incredibly privileged to be taken behind the scenes, we enjoyed a tour of the racking system and numerous bespoke fitted units that house the wallpaper collection, and were delighted to see examples of Leroy wallpaper books from 1855-56 and 1924-25, where the colours and designs were as vivid as if they were printed yesterday.

Viewing a Leroy book from 1855-56

A Leroy wallpaper and cutout from 1924-25

The store contains a treasure trove of rolls of wallpaper by Balin, Dauptain et Soeur, Delicourt, Follot and other major names, as well as more contemporary books and reference material, but equally books of simpler papers, such as one from 1933 specifically designed for the houses of state railway workers, demonstrating the sheer breadth of the collection.

20^th-century wallpaper books in the MADS collection

We are exceptionally grateful to Marion for showing us the storage facility and collection, much of which remains to be catalogued. In common with many arts institutions across Europe, cuts to funding mean that MAD manages its collections with an incredibly small team, so cataloguing can only be done gradually. Despite this, what is so impressive is the quality of the exhibition they have just presented and the dedication to the ongoing care and research into the collection.

‘Renaud et Armide ou La Jérusalem délivrée’ (detail) Dufour & Leroy

The museum’s permanent collection also displays a couple of breathtaking wallpapers in room sets – the panoramic ‘Renaud et Armide ou La Jérusalem délivrée’ from Dufour & Leroy and the extraordinary trompe l’oeil backdrop  ‘Jardin d’hiver’ from 1853 by Desfossé, designed by Eduard Müller. Both are reason alone to visit this wonderful museum which also houses collections of furniture, ceramics, fashion, jewellery, glass, photography and advertising material.

‘Jardin d’hiver’ 1853 by Desfossé, designed by Eduard Müller

Our thanks to Marion  and Bénédicte for their generosity and time.

For more information on MAD go to https://madparis.fr/musee-des-arts-decoratifs

Lucy Ellis

All photos by the author