Trois siècles d’explorations françaises
The Musée de l’armée in Paris presents the exhibition "Explorations : une affaire d’État ?" covering 300 years of French exploration from the 18th to the 21st century. The show brings together artworks, maps, archives, and scientific objects to trace how state power, the military, and science intersected in expeditions from Bougainville’s 1766-1769 circumnavigation to contemporary space and deep-sea missions. It includes a film by artist Thibault Brunet created with researchers using the game Minecraft Explorers, imagining a new scientific exploration.
This exhibition matters because it critically examines the colonial and competitive dimensions of French exploration, addressing violence and exploitation alongside scientific achievements. By linking historical expeditions to current private-sector space and ocean ventures, it prompts reflection on the evolving relationship between governments, militaries, and commercial interests in exploration. The show’s location in a military museum adds institutional weight to this interrogation of national policy and imperial legacy.