NEW DELHI: France Muséums Développement (FMD), the French consultancy that helped transform the Louvre Palace into the world’s largest and most visited museum, will take on a bigger role in the Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum (YYBM).
The culture ministry, developing the latter as part of the Central Vista Redevelopment Plan, is set to sign a new agreement appointing FMD as an advisor to provide expertise, strategic guidance, and support throughout the project. Sources said that the French consultancy firm, as advisor, would provide support to enhance visitors’ experience, business model, display of artefacts, and training and capacity- building plans.
The ministry signed an MoU with FMD last December to conduct a feasibility study and preliminary master planning for adaptive reuse of the iconic buildings— North and South Blocks—where the museum will come up. The French agency is renowned for its expertise in transforming old buildings into iconic cultural spaces, exemplified by the Louvre, Grand Palais, and Hôtel de la Marine.
The ministry, meanwhile, has planned to finalise consultants for design and content development. “We are hopeful to open a part or gallery of the museum by mid-2026 to the public. The entire project will be completed within two years after getting full possession of South Block,” said sources. The ministry has prepared an indicative gallery concept titled ‘Time and Timelessness’.
The gallery is proposed on the ground floor with 100 artefacts, including a suggestive collection of 13 artefacts such as the Indus Valley Terracotta Hourglass (2500–1750 BCE), Konark Sun Wheel (13th Century CE), Maurya Edict Pillar Fragment (3rd Century BCE), Gupta-Period Surya Sculpture (5th Century CE), and Cholaperiod Nataraja Bronze (10th– 11th Century CE).