Museum
"Pasteur Inventory" – creating a permanent installation
On May 18, the artists Aristide Barraud, Claire Baratto, Matilda Vit and Déborah Di Fiore started work to create a permanent version of the fresco that currently covers the wall between the André Lwoff building and the Medical Center. This partnership is part of the "Art & Science" initiative.
During the Nuit Blanche 2025, Aristide Barraud created a series of ephemeral collages on the Institut Pasteur campus as part of an interactive treasure hunt. One of the collages left a lasting impression: the "Pasteur Inventory," a 9 x 4 meter work representing the 40 greatest discoveries by the Institut Pasteur's scientists. As the artwork began to degrade naturally over time, it was decided to make it a permanent installation, after consulting the artist and securing the approval of the senior management team.
From May 18 to 25, paintbrushes in hand, Aristide and his team set out to reproduce the previous collage. The ten colors of the fresco, chosen by illustrator Claire Baratto, echo the shades in the pastels produced by Louis Pasteur. The paint used should mean that the fresco will last for the next 15 years.
On the final day of work on the fresco, an opportunity to meet the artists was organized. Aristide spoke about the inspiration and motivation behind the artistic project. He explained that he wanted to highlight the similarities between scientists and artists – both work on the basis of intuition, explore the unknown, fail often and succeed occasionally. Louis Pasteur embodied this duality – he originally considered pursuing a career as an artist. The discoveries represented on the fresco are the result of Pasteur's choice to turn to science.
The Institut Pasteur staff who attended the event took the opportunity to observe the fresco up close from the scaffolding and ask questions, and some lucky employees were even able to contribute their own brushstrokes to the work!
The scaffolding has now been dismantled and the fresco is visible to everyone. Why not take a few minutes to admire it when you next walk across campus?
If you are interested in the latest museum news, have any questions or are in possession of any technical or scientific objects that can provide clues to the past activities of the Institut Pasteur's laboratories, feel free to contact the museum team at musee@pasteur.fr and follow us on social media (LinkedIn, Instagram).