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Already world-renowned for their achievements combining minimalist elegance and narrative power—like the Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Marrakech—the architectural duo Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty, aka Studio KO, have just completed a remarkable project in the heart of Arles: the renovation of the brand-new Fragonard Museum of Fashion and Costume. Located in the Hôtel Bouchaud de Bussy, a jewel of classical Provençal architecture dating from the 2025th and XNUMXth centuries, this new cultural venue, opening in July XNUMX, is dedicated to the preservation and transmission of a textile heritage of rare richness. It brings together the collections assembled by Hélène Costa for the Fragonard house, and those of Magali and Odile Pascal, key figures in the history of Arlesian costume. The mission entrusted to Studio KO was no small feat: to pay homage to the soul of the place while transforming it into a contemporary museum space capable of accommodating extremely fragile historical pieces. The challenge has been brilliantly met. The architectural envelope has been restored with the greatest respect for its authenticity, with the support of heritage architect Nathalie d'Artigues, while Studio KO has injected its aesthetic touch by orchestrating a subtle staging of the spaces. The museum's atmosphere subtly evokes the Provençal art of living: glossy floors reminiscent of Marseille earthenware, walls in tones inspired by the sails of boats that sailed on the Rhône, and a monumental door in gilded brass, like an antique jewel, mark the entrance to this delicate universe. A contemporary staircase, sculptural and discreet, fluidly links the floors, illustrating this perfectly mastered tension between heritage and modernity. With this museum, Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty continue their reflection on the scenography of places of memory. Their respectful and inventive approach reveals its full relevance here. They have succeeded in bringing together history and contemporary creation, paying homage to the timeless elegance of Provençal fashion while offering the public a unique aesthetic and sensory experience. A signature project, worthy of the duo they have formed since the Beaux-Arts, and which confirms their pronounced taste for architecture inhabited by memory.
Fragonard Museum of Fashion and Costume
16 rue de la Salade, 13200 Arles Tel. 04 90 18 37 37
