Smart Surveillance in the Service of Art: Hanwha Vision at the Petit Palais Museum of Avignon

The Petit Palais Museum, located in Avignon and classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a gem of cultural heritage. This municipal museum houses an exceptional collection including more than 300 Italian paintings from the Campana collection, as well as works by great masters such as Botticelli and Carpaccio. Due to the richness and fragility of its collections, security represents a major challenge, particularly in the context of preserving the historic architecture of the building while ensuring discreet but effective surveillance of the exhibited works.

The museum faced two main constraints:

• The building, dating from the Middle Ages and remodeled during the Renaissance, imposes strict limitations on the installation of modern equipment.
• Protecting the works and ensuring complete surveillance against theft and accidental damage, while maintaining a pleasant experience for visitors.

59 Hanwha Vision video surveillance cameras were installed by the company Equans, including dome models inside and bullet models outside, as well as 360-degree fisheye cameras in confined spaces. These cameras integrate artificial intelligence technologies to:

• Detect the crossing of virtual lines, preventing visitors from getting too close to the works.
• Trigger automatic sound alerts and send real-time notifications to the surveillance station.
• Ensure complete vision in the museum spaces thanks to cameras adapted to the environment.
• Count people in certain defined areas of the museum in order to manage flows and guarantee an optimal visit experience.

The work was carried out with care to respect the heritage constraints of the museum. The equipment was integrated in a non-intrusive way, taking into account the architectural specifics, in order to preserve the aesthetics of the building while effectively protecting the works and visitors.

This solution has allowed the museum to modernize its security while respecting its historical identity. Visitors can now explore the collections in peace, while the museum’s security managers benefit from a high-performance surveillance system, increasing the security of precious works such as Botticelli’s paintings.