The Grand-Bassam Art House has welcomed nearly 12,000 visitors since its opening, the institution announced during its first anniversary celebrated on Friday, October 9, 2026. Approximately half of this audience resides in the historic town located about forty kilometers from Abidjan.
Nearly 3,000 children and adolescents are among the visitors recorded during this first year. This attendance places school and family audiences at the heart of the venue’s activity, located in the former post office and customs building.
The anniversary is accompanied by the renewal of the permanent collection and the opening of two exhibitions brought together under the theme Memories and Creations. The program combines historical documents with contemporary works in order to create a dialogue between the past of Grand-Bassam and current creativity.
The exhibition Grand-Bassam, Shared Memories traces the evolution of the city between 1829 and 1960 through maps, photographs, plans, and archives. Contemporary Resonances, for its part, brings together paintings, photographs, and sculptures by artists working on memory and the transformations of the territory.
The Maison de l’Art is supported by the Société Générale Côte d’Ivoire Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Francophonie. The project transformed a heritage building in the city listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site into an exhibition and cultural mediation space.
The celebration notably brought together Patrick Blas, CEO of Société Générale Côte d’Ivoire and president of its foundation, as well as Silvie Memel Kassi, director of the Maison de l’Art. The two new exhibitions extend the programming beyond the first year of activity.
