Today, is our privacy threatened, or on the contrary, does it pose a threat to
the public sphere?
What do the objects of our everyday life tell us about our relationship to the
private sphere and the way in which this has evolved since the 19th century?
Presented in the nave of the museum, this exhibition is part of a new
programme focusing on the decorative arts and design through the prism
of a sociological approach, thus offering a reflection on the way in which
objects reflect lifestyles and societal developments.
The chosen theme is that of our relationship to the personal or private
sphere and its transformations over the centuries. The bedroom, beds,
armchairs and sofas, screens, dressing tables, bourdaloues (coach pots),
commode chairs, bathtubs, sex toys, connected objects, and applications
punctuate this exhibition exploring various themes linked to intimacy: sleep,
eroticism, sexuality, beauty, grooming, the different ways of being together,
promiscuity, and the desire for solitude. Contemporary aspects of intimacy
are also explored, like those generated by social networks, new surveillance
technologies, and even certain marginalized contexts. Artisans, artists, and
the great designers from the 18th to the 21st centuries are summoned through
this history of the intimate, ranging from Édouard Vuillard to Edgar Degas,
the Bouroullec brothers to Gaetano Pesce, as well as Superstudio and
Archizoom, David Hockney, and Nan Goldin.