He hesitated between Bordeaux, Caen and Strasbourg for his museum. It will ultimately be the Norman city. Swiss billionaire Jean-Claude Gandur announced on Friday that he had chosen the capital of Calvados for the construction of the museum which will house his prestigious collections of works of art.
The future building will be located not far from the Caen Memorial and will present works and objects from the collections housed in Geneva by the Gandur Foundation for Art (FGA) since 2010, indicates the latter in a joint press release with the municipality of Caen.
“Choice of the heart”
The city of Bordeaux did not hide its disappointment this Friday. “Bordeaux submitted this application with commitment and seriousness because we had all the assets to welcome the foundation, even if Jean-Claude Gandur knows our region less than Normandy. The final choice of Caen, which we understand is a choice of the heart, is of course disappointing for the city teams and the partners who were involved in the development and promotion of the Bordeaux candidacy. » writes Dimitri Boutleux, deputy mayor for creation and cultural expressions.
“The choice of Caen, carefully considered, owes a lot to the links that the city and the Gandur Foundation for Art have already maintained for many years,” underlines the press release, citing two major exhibitions of paintings presented in 2020 and 2023 at the Mémorial de Caen. The FGA museum “will develop a vast program of cultural mediation and activities aimed in particular at young people” and wishes to “become one of the highlights of the cultural and tourist vitality of the city and the region”, adds the foundation.
The museum is expected to open its doors in 2030.