Top reasons to Rendez-vous with Blérancourt

Château de Blérancourt in Fall 2016
Château de Blérancourt - Anne Morgan's WWI HQ
Press release

JANUARY 2017 UPDATE: the Franco-American Museum re-opening has been delayed. It will now take place late Summer or Fall 2017.

Tribute to the meaningful French-American relationship

No other museum in France focuses on the relationship of France with another country. The Franco-American Museum highlights the centuries-old strategic relationship between France and the U.S. through artwork, documents and memorabilia. They depict the critical aid France gave to the insurgents during the American Revolution and that of Americans who assisted the French in both World Wars. One can also enjoy the artistic exchanges between the two countries.

A “hidden jewel” of a museum
The Museum offers an eclectic presentation of American artists who often studied and mastered their art in France, as well as French artists who’ve been inspired by America. This is not the Louvre, yet the Franco-American Museum presents little-known treasures: Likenesses of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington by noted French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon; paintings by Childe Hassam, John Singer Sargent, Romaine Brooks, Fernand Léger, Alexander Calder; as well as Paul Colin’s poster project for La Revue Nègre, the first appearance of singer/cultural phenomenon Josephine Baker in France. An amazing WWI collection including an American Field Service ambulance—a model T Ford—as well as poignant photographs and films showing the devastation in Picardy and the reconstruction work achieved by American women volunteers that demonstrate the important French-American connection.

History that comes to life
Visitors will be amazed to discover how the buildings on site first served as headquarters for Anne Morgan and her American women volunteers during World War I to coordinate ambulances (with the American Field Service) and heal wounded soldiers. Anne Morgan would later make the château the seat of operations post-WWI to rebuild Picardy with her women volunteers. Since the Museum is located at the site of significant WWI battles, they will know much more about the history regarding the two countries. It’s considered the “land of memory” because of WWI and WWI, the numerous battlefields, cemeteries and monument.

A celebration of life
The magnificent gardens of Blérancourt feature French and American plants and trees, including a poppy field to stand for the blood shed nearby and red, white and blue patterns. They are a breath of life in an area infamous for the terrible battles of both World Wars.

Wonderful tourism opportunities “off the beaten track”
In the Picardy region there’s no lack of charming villages that France is famous for. But one also finds exceptional medieval cathedrals, including the Amiens cathedral (the largest in the world) and Beauvais (the tallest in the world), the château of Chantilly (considered one of the gems of French heritage, with its Condé Museum), the historic town of Senlis and the new World War I museum in Meaux, midway between Paris and Château-Thierry. The region is a highly symbolic place for American visitors.

Contact

Elaine Uzan Leary
American Friends of Blérancourt
(212) 725-5380