Private Lives: from the Bedroom to Social Media

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 19^th 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 18^th to the 21^st 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.