Exceptional loans for the new exhibition at the National Museum of Education in Rouen

Exceptional loan of the famous Louis Pasteur portrait and the Nachet microscope used for studying silkworms for the new exhibition at the National Museum of Education in Rouen From March 26, 2024 to January 12, 2025, Louis Pasteur will be the focus of attention at the National Museum of Education in Rouen. The museum is hosting a special exhibition "Pasteur, a textbook case?" to highlight Louis Pasteur's commitment to teaching scientific knowledge to countless students.

For this first collaboration with the National Museum of Education, the Pasteur Museum is exceptionally loaning two emblematic items from its collections. In addition to the 300 objects presented by the National Museum of Education, visitors will be able to admire the famous portrait of Louis Pasteur in his laboratory at the École Normale Supérieure in 1885, painted by Albert Edelfelt and Hélène Schjerfbeck, and the Nachet microscope for silkworm rearers. Louis Pasteur used the microscope between 1865 and 1870 to study the disease that was ravaging silkworm farms in France and Europe.  

The loan was an opportunity to restore the famous portrait – and the restoration work actually revealed additional details about the artwork: during the cleaning process, the artist's signature and the date reappeared at the bottom right of the painting. Carole Husson, an art restorer who worked on the painting, explains what happened in a video that you can watch below.

Watch the vidéoIf you are planning a trip to Normandy, make sure you book a visit to the exhibition at
munae-reservation@reseau-canope.fr.

The exhibition is open on weekdays from 1.30 to 6.15pm, and on weekends and public holidays from 10am to 12.30pm and from 1.30 to 6.15pm.