Maison Bergès is a museum in Villard-Bonnot, a town not far from Grenoble. The museum is dedicated to the birth of hydroelectricity and pays tribute to the men who participated in this adventure, placing itself as part of the development of a local, regional and national economy. The museum is housed in an Art Nouveau style building designed by the engineer Aristide Bèrges. It is a museum that combines history, science, techniques and art in a single place: in fact, there are also works by the great master of art Nouveau Alfons Mucha, who had stayed in those territories several times.
The collections kept by the Maison Bergès (formerly called Musée de la Houille blanche) consist of archives relating both to the life of the Bergès family, and to the company created by Aristide and inherited from his sons. They also include an important photographic collection showing the evolution of the factory, the members of the family, the works of art once distributed in the house. To this is added a set of furniture, prints, literary works, paintings made mainly by Maurice, the last son of Aristide, but also to some painter friends such as Gaston Bussière or Alfons Mucha. The collection also consists of industrial materials, such as the turbines exhibited in the park, and laboratory objects: refining batteries for stationery for example, a Barlow wheel for electricity and many others.
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40 avenue des Papeteries Lancey, Villard-Bonnot, France