Guy Cogeval, the former president of the Musée d'Orsay and Musée de l'Orangerie, has died in Paris at the age of 70 following a long illness. His death was announced on November 13, 2025, bringing to an end the career of a distinctive figure in the French museum landscape.
Born in 1955, Cogeval initially pursued a career in education before transitioning to art history. He graduated at the top of his class in the curator's examination in 1985 and began his museum career as an intern at the Musée d'Orsay. He subsequently worked at the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon and then at the Louvre, where he focused on cultural mediation and programming.
Cogeval's career took on an international dimension in 1998 when he was appointed director general of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. During his eight-year tenure, he implemented a highly structured exhibition policy, seeking to expand partnerships and reposition the institution within the museum landscape of North America. His leadership helped elevate the museum's profile and establish stronger international connections.
In 2008, Cogeval was named president of the Public Establishment of the Musée d'Orsay and Musée de l'Orangerie (EPMOO). He immediately launched the ambitious "New Orsay" project, a vast renovation operation that involved redesigning galleries and reorganizing the permanent collection display. The project resulted in a redeployment of artworks, more thematically organized circulation paths, and denser presentation of certain collections. These choices sparked debates and contrasting reactions among museum professionals, with some praising the modernization while others questioned certain curatorial decisions.
Simultaneously, Cogeval pursued an active acquisition policy structured around two main areas: enriching the post-impressionist collections and consolidating the Nabi holdings. Under his presidency, the institution welcomed several major collections, including the Marcie-Rivière donation in 2010 and the Hays donation in 2016. These acquisitions significantly enhanced the museum's weight in the study of intimist painters and fin-de-siècle symbolism, reinforcing the institution's scientific orientation while reshaping its identity around an expanded 19th century.
As an art historian by training, Cogeval devoted a significant portion of his research to the Nabis, particularly Édouard Vuillard. He authored several publications on the artist and organized a notable retrospective at the Grand Palais in 2003 that was widely acclaimed by critics and the public alike. His scholarly work contributed significantly to the understanding and appreciation of this important artistic movement.
However, Cogeval's management of the Musée d'Orsay was not without controversy. Several internal and public positions criticized the centralization of decision-making, the demanding pace imposed on teams, and the conduct of reorganizations. Some staff members and external observers raised concerns about management style and institutional changes during his tenure.
After leaving the EPMOO in 2017, Cogeval continued his editorial work and research while occasionally participating in various scientific committees. He remained active in the art world, contributing to scholarship and serving as an advisor on museum matters. His legacy includes both the physical transformation of one of France's most important museums and his scholarly contributions to the understanding of 19th-century French art, particularly the Nabi movement and post-impressionist period.
