Musée Bonnat-Helleu debuts new exhibition following major renovation

The Musée Bonnat-Helleu in Bayonne, France, has debuted its first temporary exhibition since reopening last fall following a 14-year renovation that doubled its exhibition space. The exhibition, titled ‘Mythologies: To Tell the Story of the World,’ is scheduled to run through November 9.

Directed by Barthélémy Etchegoyen Glama, the museum aims to use the exhibition as a ‘manifesto’ to engage diverse audiences by exploring how different societies developed similar myths across time and geography. The display features a mix of ancient and contemporary works, including rare loans from the Louvre and the Quai Branly museum in Paris.

Key highlights include the juxtaposition of a contemporary Basque mask by Owantshoozi studio designers with a famous bust of Homer, and Raphael’s Renaissance painting ‘Saint George and the Dragon’ displayed alongside 17th-century Syrian icon paintings of the same subject. The exhibition also includes local folk art, such as the ‘Hartza’ man-bear figure created by Thomas Loyath for local carnivals.