Preserving and Perpetuating Memory at the Musée Nissim de Camondo

Abstract

This article investigates the complex layering of historical and memorial references at the Musée Nissim de Camondo in Paris as it has evolved from private residence to an increasingly open public museum. Built between 1911 and 1914 for an important collection of eighteenth-century furnishings and decorative arts, the house took on a commemorative function following the death of the founder’s son, Nissim, for whom the museum was named. Over the last century, through the vicissitudes of history, revised narrative priorities and changing approaches to museum presentation, this house-turned-museum has become a site of historical representation focused as much on the twentieth century and the Camondo family as on the period of its original inspiration. This article explores that transition, attending to the museum’s founding memorial goal in the wake of World War II, the tragic demise of the Camondo family, and shifting perspectives on French history.

Keywords:

• house museums
• authenticity
• memory
• Paris
• World War II
• eighteenth-century decorative arts