Presentation of the collections
The current permanent collections
The collections of the Ajaccio Museum of Fine Arts is largely inherited from Cardinal Joseph Fesch, uncle of Emperor Napoleon I. By his will, Cardinal Fesch wanted a « Grand Institute of Studies » to be founded in Ajaccio, with a rich collection of works of art. Joseph Bonaparte, Count of Survilliers, contested the will; the city would have to erect the building at its own expense, however, it would receive approximately 1,500 works of art from the cardinals collection, alongside part of the cardinals furniture and the statue of Napoleon 1st, sculpted by Maximilien Laboureur. We no longer speak of a Fesch bequest, but of a Survilliers donation. Nevertheless, the cardinals collection constitutes the bulk of the museums works of art. Various donations and bequests will subsequently enrich the collections of the Palais Fesch, in particular those of Félix Baciocchi in 1866, of the Duke of Treviso in 1892, of Jérôme Napoléon in 1897, of the Rothschild family in 1889 and 1909, of the baron and of the baroness Vognsgaard in 1974 and 1992 and François and Marie-Jeanne Ollandini in 2007 and 2009. Between 1854 and 1973, the State would regularly deposit works of art to the city of Ajaccio. Hence, the museum now houses a collection of works of art which contains a selection of important Italian paintings, including: Italian Primitives, Roman Baroque paintings, Neapolitan Baroque paintings; landscapes, popular scenes and still lifes, a Napoleonic collection and a collection of Corsican paintings.
The graphic arts and photography cabinet
The graphic arts cabinet is mainly made up of Corsican and Napoleonic works of art. Corsican works include Donato by Léon-Charles Canniccioni, a watercolour on paper, or even Bocognano by Jean-Jérome Levie, a watercolour on paper. Amongst the Napoleonic works are The king of Brobdingnag and Gulliver, a watercolour print by James Gillray, or even the study of the faces, graphite and brown ink, by Isidore-Alexandre-Augustin Pils. Further enriching our collection of graphic works, we can mention in the study of a figurine on horseback and the study of a woman holding a parasol, both red chalk on paper, by François Boucher.
Italian paintings from the 14th to the 18th century
The Palais Fesch hosts one of the most important collections of Italian paintings in France. Three major collections stand out in particular: the Primitives and Renaissance paintings, the 17th century paintings from the various Italian schools, and painters active in Rome in the 18th century.
The collection of paintings from the Primitives and the Renaissance represents only the smallest part of the rare collection that the cardinal had assembled, of which the subsequent dispersal, in 1845, profoundly changed the taste of collectors. Nevertheless, the paintings that arrived in Corsica, ranging from the Master of Rimini to the painters of the sixteenth century, make the museum one of the few in France that can present such a selection of the first masters of Italian painting. In the 17th century collection, we find a selection of paintings representative of all the schools of painting throughout the peninsula. And as is common in all Roman collections, a large number of landscapes alongside the most exceptional set of still lifes available in France. Given the origin of the collection, it is not surprising to find a large number of paintings painted by artists active in Rome during the 18th century. Thus, by going through the museums exhibition rooms, it is possible to discover the extent of the influence that the Eternal City had on art during that period. Rome, being the destination for artists from all over Europe to study Raphael and the Antiquity, became one of the main destinations for artistic creation and the exchange of ideas. The Italian collection begins on the second floor and carries on chronologically throughout the first floor.
Hanging in the style of Italian palaces
Cardinal Fesch’s collection was the last of the great collections amassed by a Roman prelate, and certainly the largest.
These collections made by prelates are the origins of most princely collections, the remains of which can still be seen in some Roman palaces. Some of these collections have turned into national museums, such as the Galleria Barberini, the Galleria Spada, the Galleria Corsini or even the Villa Borghese; others are still owned by the descendants of these illustrious families, but are accessible to the public, such as the Galleria Doria-Pamphily and the Galleria Colonna. The paintings on the first floor of the museum are hanged as they once were in the 18th and 19th centuries, “frame against frame” regardless of the subject or period, to give visitors the opportunity to experience this exceptional form of hanging.
The Napoleonic collection
The bequests and donations following the foundation of the museum have helped in enriching the Napoleonic heritage of the city. Cardinal Fesch’s collection is the most important one for the representation of members of the Bonaparte family, and is itself a veritable gallery of portraits. The Napoleonic ensemble of the Palais Fesch captures a large part of the First Empire, through painted, engraved or sculpted works. Of which the painter, Jacques Sablet, is central. He worked for a long time in the service of Lucien Bonaparte and Cardinal Fesch, assisting them in the constitution and restoration of parts of their collection. The portrait of Christine Boyer, Lucien’s first wife, and the portrait of Lucien Bonaparte in Plessis-chamant are particularly remarkable. The collection also includes large portraits of the imperial family, including those of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French and Joseph, King of Spain, by Baron François Pascal Simon Gérard. This collection also contains a small anonymous portrait of the King of Rome in the Tuileries garden which was in Napoleon’s bedroom at Saint Helena. The Second Empire is also evoked, with in particular the portrait of Napoleon III by Alexandre Cabanel and the works bequeathed by Jérôme Napoléon, known as Plon-Plon, in particular the large paintings by Horace Vernet and Isidore Pils, which decorated his apartment at the Palais Royal. This section is located on the ground floor. The sculpture gallery includes prestigious artists such as Bartolini Lorenzo, Canova Antonio, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux or even Trentanove Raimondo.
The collection of Corsican paintings
In 1866, the Ministry of the House of the Emperor acquired the work of Jean-Luc Multedo: The Forest of Valdoniello and deposited it at the Palais Fesch. This act became the founding stone for the collections of Corsican paintings within the City of Ajaccio. Over the years, the collections have grown richer according to two principles. The first is due to the State, which regularly deposits works by Corsican artists or representing Corsica acquired at the various Fine Arts fairs. The second is due to the generosity of island donors. By 2010, there were nearly a thousand different Corsican works of art, spread across various collections; these included paintings, drawings or engravings. This rapid increase in displayable art, which coincided with the renovations of the museum, led to the creation of a department entirely focused on Corsican paintings and painters. This includes a selection of works by the leaders of the Corsican school of painting from the mid-19th century until the end of the 20th century. Visitors will be able to admire the landscapes of Lucien Peri and François Corbellini, the ethnographic painting by Charles-Léon Cannicioni or even the renditions of Ajaccio by Jean-Baptiste Bassoul. This section can be found on the ground floor.
Cardinal Fesch
Younger half-brother of Letizia Bonaparte, mother of the Emperor Napoleon, Joseph Fesch was born in Ajaccio in 1763. After studying at the Seminary of Aix-en-Provence, he was appointed Archpriest of Ajaccio Cathedral in 1787. During the French Revolution, he left Corsica with the Bonaparte family. Deprived of resources, he followed his nephew Napoleon during the Italian campaign of 1796. This period marked the beginning of his financial ease along with his passion for art. In 1802, Joseph Fesch returned to the priestly state. He was appointed Archbishop of Lyon, Primate of the Gauls. He was promoted to the rank of cardinal in 1803 and appointed as French Ambassador to the Holy See. The negotiation of the coronation ceremony with Pope Pius VII earned him the office of Grand Chaplain of the Empire. Cardinal Fesch was made to give up his post as ambassador to the Holy See, in 1805, and returned to Paris in 1806. When the Empire fell in 1815 he went into exile in Rome and retained several religious duties. He devoted himself to pious activities, while enriching his collection. He would regularly buy many works of art, often in bulk. The paintings, sculptures and ceremonial ornaments donated to his hometown would become the origins of the museum.
The historical collection of Cardinal Fesch
Cardinal Fesch brought together the largest collection of paintings ever assembled, in a relatively short space of time. When he died in 1839, he owned 17,767 works of art, including around 16,000 paintings. His taste for painting was emerged during the Italian wars (1796). His financial health alongside his influence as Napoleon’s uncle provided him with the opportunity to profit from sales of the goods of the clergy and of certain Italian families. Whilst in Paris, under the rule of the Empire, he would buy many important French, Flemish and Dutch paintings. In Rome as in Paris, he would benefit from the advice of various artists. After the fall of the Empire, the cardinal moved to Rome, to the Falconieri Palace, via Giulia. His « Grande Galerie » (where he would display his greatest works) was displayed on the second floor. The cardinal would willingly show it to passing guests. The rest of his collection was kept in a secon palace, which he would rent for this purpose only. It was during this period that he acquired the greatest number of 17th century Italian paintings.
The Fesch Palace
The Palais Fesch was built according to the wishes of Cardinal Fesch, maternal uncle of Napoleon I. The prelate wanted to create in Ajaccio, in the Saint-Roch district by the sea, an “Institute of Arts and Sciences” to educate young Corsicans. The great art collector Joseph Fesch bequeathed to his hometown around 1,500 paintings, pieces of furniture, works of art and ceremonial ornaments. The palace, started in 1828, the construction which took place in stages, was not completed until the Second Empire. The plans for the building were drawn up by the architect Sylvestre Frasseto. In order to pay homage to the benefactor of Ajaccio, in 1854 the municipality erected in the center of the courtyard the statue of Cardinal Fesch, the work of the Parisian sculptor Vital-Gabriel Dubray. Until 1974, the 843 paintings on display were hung “frame against frame”, as was typical at the time. This was mainly done in the current large gallery as the rest of the building was being used as a college, after having served as a barrack. A first bout of renovations was undertaken in the 1970s and 80s, and when it finally reopened on July 9th 1990, the museum occupied the entire building.
After a new phase of renovations, mainly aimed at improving the conservation and storage of the collections, the museum reopened in 2010 and now offers visitors four exhibition floors.
The north wing of the Fesch Palace: the heritage room of the library of the city of Ajaccio
The creation of Ajaccio’s municipal library dates back to the beginning of the 19th century. This public library project was the brainchild of Lucien Bonaparte, then Minister of the Interior of the consular government. He instructed André-François Miot, Administrator of Corsica, to transfer the first 12,310 volumes from various Parisian religious congregations, as well as from the royal residences of Meudon and Marly, into the library. This conglomeration of books consisted mainly of history books (3,608 works), but also literary (1,557 works) and theological works (1,400 works). These books are branded « National Library of Liamone » and temporarily stored in the former Jesuit convent pending the renovation of the rooms of the Major Seminary. In the year of its foundation, the institution received 602 additional volumes from the city’s Capuchins and Jesuits collection. During the First Empire, the library’s holdings were enriched, at the request of Cardinal Fesch, with 1,000 books, the fruits of war. Relocated several times, the collection was stored on the first floor of the Benielli house from 1806. The books would be moved regularly, until 1827, when the collection returned to the Jesuit convent. Seven years later, on August 13th, 1834, Father Marchi, native of the village of Ambiegna (Southern Corsica), professor at the University of Milan, bequeathed to the city 1,252 volumes. Ranging from literature to history to the sciences and the arts, as well as his personal work. Finally, in 1836, the entire amalgamation of books was sent to the newly inaugurated Town Hall. In his will, Cardinal Fesch bequeathed 8,091 books from his library to his hometown. This collection consisted largely of books on theology and history. The great library, the work of architect Jérôme Maglioli, was inaugurated on May 22, 1865.
The southern wing of the Fesch Palace: the imperial chapel
The Imperial Chapel forms the southern wing of the complex of buildings founded by Cardinal Fesch, along the street that now bears his name. Built between 1827 and 1837, this establishment was designed to bring together a school, a library and a museum. A chapel was later built on the side of the courtyard, to accommodate the burials of the main members of the imperial family. Originally named Saint Joseph, the chapel subsequently received the names of Imperial chapel, Bonaparte chapel and Palatine chapel. In the middle of the 19th century, Cardinal Fesch had the idea to erect a funeral church where the south wing of the Fesch Palace is located. The prelate’s last wishes could not be fulfilled when Joseph Bonaparte, Comte de Survilliers, his executor, refused due to the hostility of post-imperial political regimes to his family. The former King of Spain passed away on July 28, 1844, and it fell to the Prince of Canino (Charles-Lucien Bonaparte, son of Lucien Bonaparte) to be responsible for building the chapel in Ajaccio. The mayor and the bishop then decide to intervene in order to proceed with the transfer of the ashes of Madame Mère and Cardinal Fesch. The Prince of Canino died in 1857 without having been able to have the chapel built. It was Napoleon III who intervened to bring this project to fruition. Work on the funeral building, which Cardinal Fesch had wished to dedicate to the Immaculate Conception, finally began on August 23rd, 1857. The construction of the building was entrusted to the architect Alexis Paccard, who drew up the plans and to the architect Joseph Cazeneuve, first inspector of the Palace of Fontainebleau, who aided him on the construction site. The chapel, made of Saint-Florent stone, is built in a neo-Renaissance style, on a Latin cross plan. The interior, the work of Jerôme Maglioli, is decorated entirely with paintings in grisaille, depicting priestly attributes and floral motifs, while the burials, in the vault, are covered with black marble engraved by Champollion-Figeac. The stained-glass windows bear the « F » of the cardinal’s name and their decoration associates his ecclesiastical attributes with the symbols of the Empire: the Eagle and the Legion of Honour. The stone used is native to the island, such as the green marble from Bevinco from which the discs adorning the eardrums and the altar are made, and the Brando stone paving of the vault. On June 5th, 1860, Father Versini became the first chaplain of the imperial chapel and bestowed his blessing on Sunday, September 9th.
