Welcome to histalu.orgThe site for the history of aluminium
" Aluminium has the elegance of an immaterial form, it is the perfect formalization of our dreams."
Olivier Debré, painter
Aluminium began to be commercial refined and produced in the middle of the 19th century. In the first decades, because of its rarity and its high price, it mainly interested jewellers, opticians, and inventors of all kinds. Its applications remained limited until the First World War. Then they will gradually develop in many areas, from everyday life to high technology. Aluminium has over time become a material that is emblematic of the great societal evolutions of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Today, the collections of objects brought together and/or highlighted by the IHA testify to this. They are regularly exhibited in France and abroad.
Spectacular, unique, the Jean-Plateau-IHA collection brings together nearly 25,000 objects dating from the 19th to the 21st centuries.
A unique automotive collection, classified as a historic collection.
The IHA has collected more than 700 objects illustrating different uses of aluminum and its alloys.
The IHA is currently responsible for the promotion and/or management of three collections of objects:
