The European Night of Museums is back for its 20th edition. French museums will exceptionally be open all evening, for some until midnight. The opportunity for visitors to (re)discover the collections from a new angle and enjoy the many activities on the program.
As usual, many museums are doubling their creativity to offer content that is both original and entertaining. The Air and Space Museum at Le Bourget (6 p.m.-11 p.m.) hosts an aerial acrobatics show in its eight-column room, while the LaM in Villeneuve-d'Ascq (6 p.m.-10 p.m.) invites visitors to create a large collective tapestry, inspired by the works of the artist Marisa Merz. In Paris, the Guimet Museum (6 p.m.-11 p.m.) is organizing a concert combining Chinese and Mongolian music, preceded by a literary moment. The Couvent des Jacobins de Toulouse (6:30 p.m.-11 p.m.) is organizing a story and medieval board games, while opening access to its exhibition “Cathars. Toulouse in the crusade.
This new edition highlights the theme of sport, particularly relevant this year under the sign of the Olympic Games. Fencing, qi gong and archery demonstrations take place at the Senlis Museum of Art and Archeology (7 p.m.-10 p.m.), while the Army Museum in Paris (7 p.m.-midnight) offers visit its exhibition “Duels. The art of combat” and to attend breakdance “battles”. La Monnaie de Paris invites visitors to create their own Olympic medal after being able to observe a craftsman at work.
Another theme that emerges from the program: the 150th anniversary of Impressionism. Museum Night is another opportunity to celebrate it and admire the 178 works that the Musée d'Orsay has just lent to thirty-four French museums. The Rouen Museum of Fine Arts (7:30 p.m.-10 p.m.) offers guided tours of its collections to discover the Impressionist movement in Normandy. The Musée d'Orsay (6:30 p.m.-10 p.m.) is organizing a pop-up workshop in the nave, where participants can design a fan inspired by the motifs and techniques of the Impressionists.
This year again, the event is open to schools with the “Class, work! », set up by the Ministries of Culture and National Education in 2013. Primary, middle and high school students were invited to study the works of a museum and then mediate them, during the evening.
Created in 1999 under the name “Museum Spring”, the event was extended to all museums in Council of Europe member countries in 2001. Organized by the Ministry of Culture in 2005, the event takes place on the Saturday closest to May 18, International Museum Day, and officially attracts 2 million visitors each year.
