On the occasion of the inauguration of the exhibition Bartholdi, Champollion et le sphinx, organized by the Musée Camille-Claudel in Nogent-sur-Seine from April 11 to July 19 2026, featuring Bartholdi's original Monument à Jean-François Champollion, now housed at the museum, the Chairman of the Collège de France took the floor alongside Estelle Bomberger-Rivot, mayor of the commune, Cécile Bertran, chief curator of the museum, and Aude Bodet, general curator of heritage and head of the CNAP Collections department.
In his address, the Chairman of the Collège de France reviewed the background to the transfer of the work from the Cour d'Honneur of the Collège de France, where it had been installed since the early 20th century, to its removal on February 4 and subsequent installation in the Musée Camille-Claudel, for conservation reasons and in agreement with the Centre National des Arts Plastiques.
Referring to the statue's long history and symbolic significance within the Collège de France, he expressed his delight at the new setting in which it would be presented, enabling the public to discover it in renewed conditions, recalling in detail the context in which it was produced. He also emphasized that this project was part of a desire to strengthen the links between the Collège de France and the regions, recalling on this occasion that "the Collège de France was not the Collège of Paris, but that of the whole of France".
The statue can now be seen in the permanent collections of the Musée Camille-Claudel. A resin replica will be installed in the main courtyard of the Collège de France in summer 2026.
