The architect Christian de Portzamparc  intended this extension to the museum (1989-1992)  to be “primary, essential, with no apparent details.” The zenithal light, the grey-green tones of the walls, and stone and cement grey shades act as contemporary reminders of the old studio. The museum both scatters and brings together the fragments of two fundamental monuments, as if to invite us to follow their unhurried development.

The Monument aux combattants et défenseurs du Tarn-et-Garonne de 1870-1871 (Monument to the Fighters and Defenders of Tarn-et-Garonne of 1870-1871) was the artist’s first major commission: “I wanted to convey all the throes of the human creature with a despairing arm scraping the sky”. To produce this epic work, Bourdelle carried out many studies, some of which were exhibited as independent works, such as La Guerre ou Figures Hurlantes (War or Screaming Figures) (1899).

The Monument à Adam Mickiewic (Monument to Adam Mickiewic) (1908-1928), Bourdelle’s final work, embodies “the energy of the builder” (André Suarès).