From Distillery to Contemporary Art
The idea for the Fernet-Branca Foundation emerged in early 2003, when Jean Ueberschlag, then Deputy Mayor of Saint-Louis, visited the site with architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte. This visit kicked off the project of developing a new urban vision, commissioned by the Saint-Louis City council to the Cabinet Wilmotte.
The project to transform the former Fernet-Branca distillery into an exhibition space for contemporary art is part of Saint-Louis' immediate cultural cross-border environment, with the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen, the Tinguely Museum in Basel, the Schaulager in Münchenstein, the annual Art Basel fair and the Vitra Design Museum at Weil am Rhein in Germany.
The aim of this project is to provide Saint-Louis and the surrounding region with a venue for contemporary art exhibitions, complementing the cultural offer then available in the heart of Saint-Louis town center: the Médiathèque “Le Parnasse” opened in 1993, three cinemas, an Italian-style theater “La Coupole”, built in 1999, and the café littéraire.
The genesis of the project
In the summer of 2003, the deputy mayor of Saint-Louis contacted the Branca family in Milan, owners of the Fernet-Branca building, to discuss his project. In December of the same year, an emphyteutic lease was signed between the CEO of SEML la Coupole, Jean Ueberschlag, and Count Niccolo Branca, who granted the SEML the use of the building for 23 years to create an exhibition space, in return for a symbolic rent of €1,500 per year for the first few years.
The transformation of the premises was entrusted to architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, who designed the plans for the future exhibition space in two phases. The first phase of the work involved fitting out the space for exhibitions and making the building accessible to the public.
The second phase is devoted to redeveloping the 1st floor and basement, in the former wine storehouse where the original barrels are still housed. SEML La Coupole commissioned SAGEL (Development and Management Company for the Economic Development of the Ludovic Region) to carry out the first phase, which was completed in early June 2004.
At the same time, a number of contemporary art enthusiasts founded the “Association pour le musée d'art contemporain Fernet-Branca à Saint-Louis” (Association for the Fernet-Branca Museum of Contemporary Art in Saint-Louis), with the aim of animating the site and prefiguring the creation of this new cultural facility. In 2011, the Association pour le Musée d'art contemporain became Fondation Fernet-Branca.
Architecture by Jean-Michel Wilmote
The project to convert the former Fernet-Branca factory into an exhibition space is part of this development, as a venue to showcase contemporary artists and host major public events was essential.
The building is listed as a historic monument and is part of the city's industrial heritage. Its location in the heart of the city and the beauty of its large spaces led us to consider converting this industrial building into an elegant, unique exhibition space.
Without making any big changes, the project will use the clear, logical design of this space, while highlighting the objects that are important to its history.
The simple architectural intervention is designed to provide the artist with a dedicated space while clarifying the exhibition routes. The courtyard will be highlighted as the first outdoor exhibition space. As visitors walk around the courtyard, they pass through rooms with large white picture rails that divide the space into quiet alcoves where they can view the artwork.
Natural light from the courtyard illuminates the corridors, and precise artificial lighting illuminates each work in its alcove. The subdued colors and lighting highlight the artist's intended itinerary without distracting from the art, while preserving the essence of the space.
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Contact the Foundation: +33 (0)3 89 69 10 77 - info@fondationfernet-branca.org