| If you are unable to display the newsletter properly, go to: /en/Lettre-d-information/p-755-lg1-n-13-June-2009.htm |  |
The Grand Palais newsletter |
|
 |
|
n°13, June 2009 |
|
Front pageBuren all year round at the Grand Palais Daniel Buren’s work Sur le seuil, dans la couleur © Coll. Grand Palais / Didier Plowy Daniel Buren had a dream of a big stained glass window in the Grand Palais. The work, executed in situ in the entrance hall to the Nave was originally designed for the La Force de l'art exhibition, and will be a feature till the end of 2009. The artist has fixed transparent, coloured adhesive leaves on to a 38 x 8 metre glazed surface. Sur le seuil, dans la couleur (literally "on the threshold, in colour") is a multi-faceted work. The sunlight playing on the glass subtly shifts the colours on the visitors as they move around the Nave. The geometrical shapes contrast with the metal curves of the glass roof, combining the modernity of the 21st century with architecture from 1900. The result is a living, organic yet impalpable work that you can see all year round. A new visitor reception facility will also be opened in the entrance area in July. Watch this space for more details…! EventInternational Antiquarian Book Fair / International Fine Print Fair The Nave of the Grand Palais has always enjoyed a close relationship with books: the first ever Salon du livre, the French book fair, was first held here in 1981. Today we are proud to welcome the International Antiquarian Book Fair to the Nave. From June 19 - 21, book-lovers and anyone with a little curiosity will discover an inestimable written heritage with items for every budget. At a special stand you will be able to learn how to start a collection and see how fine art books and paperbacks can sit side by side: works in one or two volumes will be on show at very affordable prices starting at 20 €. The exhibition also includes prints: for the second year running the Antiquarian Book Fair and the International Fine Print Fair will be staged together. From Dürer to Picasso, the most illustrious artists are to be found in superb editions. For three days, exhibitions, talks, signings, slam sessions: in a word, something for everyone! SurpriseThe last week-end in JuneThe Grand Palais is concocting a surprise event for the last weekend of June in the Nave (June 26-27-28). Right now it's a secret, but let's just say that it will be fun, designed for all the family and open to all. So be patient: Quadriges will tell all in just a few days … BiodiversityThe Grand Palais diversifies into own-brand honey! Nicolas Géant, Yves Saint-Geours and the Grand Palais beehive © Coll. Grand Palais / François Tomasi Beehives on the roof of the Grand Palais: this is how EPGPCE (Etablissement public du Grand Palais) is making its contribution to safeguarding biodiversity and developing a better understanding of how bees live in the city. On May 7, the first beehive was installed, followed by a second a few days later. Nearly 140,000 bees and two queens are now busying themselves atop the glass roof and foraging on the many flowers to be found in Paris within a radius of nearly 2 miles around the building. You may be surprised to learn that while a beekeeper in a rural environment may collect no more than 10 to 15 kg of honey per year, downtown harvests can attain a whopping 50 kg. Good news for the bees at the Grand Palais who will have no trouble finding flowers to their taste. The first harvest is due this summer. The Grand Palais' own-brand multifloral honey will be on the market soon and is already drawing media attention! Three questions for…Nicolas Géant, beekeeper Nicolas Géant © Coll. Grand Palais photo François Tomasi Quadriges: Why did you want to put hives on the Grand Palais roof? I was looking for a legendary venue in Paris and the Grand Palais really fitted the bill. It's a magnificent building, and it's so close to the Champs-Élysées, which is world-famous. The first hive was installed on May 7, the second on May 20. We plan to add three more next year. Quadriges: How do bees manage to live in the city? Better than in the country! There is more biodiversity in the city: there are masses of small flowers, and also acacias, lime trees, chestnuts and even lavender. You get three to four times more honey in the city than in a rural environment where crop growing leaves little room for flowers. Contrary to received opinion, the bees live better in cities than in the countryside where the flowers are polluted by pesticides, fungicides and insecticides that take a huge toll on bees. By comparison, automobile pollution is nothing. Quadriges: What are you going to do with all the honey? We'll be harvesting for the first time this summer and the honey will be marketed by the Grand Palais as "Grand Palais honey". Harvests will vary from year to year but we can expect up to 50 kg per hive. Zut, the Grand Palais buzz! "Zut" is the Grand Palais' new mascot. Every month, our queen bee, who moved into her own royal quarters on the roof of the Grand Palais on May 7, will be sharing her thoughts with us. Be warned! She stings! Episode 1: Ah, the pleasure of moving into a new home… and these are truly palatial surroundings, fit for a queen! On one side the Eiffel tower, on the other the French President's official home, the Élysée. My new neighbours, the Quadrigas, have been giving me the eye since day one … Busy place, this Grand Palais, and popular! With tons of exciting projects in the pipeline! Not that we bees mind work. We're a busy lot ourselves, and here we're in good company: you may have noticed the swarm of workers who've been hard at it for the last few days on the Alexandre-III rotunda. Meanwhile, you wouldn't believe the argument that's going on about what to call the new restaurant. Then there's the south-east gallery, the VIP lounge… there are people at it everywhere. The place is a hive of activity. Couldn't resist that one! Having said that, they won't be through till Autumn 2009, or even 2010, so we'll beat them to it: because our first honey is due to be collected at the Grand Palais, this summer. So when the buzz gets around, remember you first read it here! Cultural initiativeAn innovative educational project Senior pupils at the Lycée Jacques-Feyder with, in the foreground, from right to left: Sébastien de Gasquet (general secretary of the Grand Palais), Yves Saint-Geours (president of the Grand Palais), Brice Léthier (headmaster), Isabelle Stibbe (publications and external relations manager, Grand Palais). © Coll. Grand Palais / François Tomasi How do young people in an inner city area like Seine Saint-Denis on the northern edge of Paris see the Grand Palais? We got an answer to this question on May 29 when a new brochure specially designed for young visitors to the Grand Palais was launched. It was designed by pupils majoring in art as part of their final year at the Lycée Jacques Feyder. Throughout the year, the pupils visited the Grand Palais as part of an innovative educational partnership. They had the privilege of attending the events but also seeing what life in the building was like backstage: areas currently being restored, meetings with professionals… Nobody was in a better position to explain the history and day-to-day life of the Grand Palais to young readers, in this new 12-page brochure the first edition of which has just been printed in 10,000 copies. With their words, thoughts and viewpoints, the Grand Palais feels younger already! Tuesdays in the Grand PalaisThe last cycle of the 2008/2009 season: writing After the cycle on Utopia, writing is the new theme for Tuesdays in the Grand Palais, organised in partnership with Presses universitaires de France. The lecture-debates will preface the opening of the Antiquarian Book Show in the Nave on June 19. Tuesday June 2: Playing with words: when humour melts on your tongue Tuesday June 9: Reading, writing, playing and acting: writing for the stage With Jacques Albert, author, actor-dancer, member of the "Das Plateau" collective; Bernadette Lafont, actress; Michel Prigent, chairman of the board of the Presses universitaires de France publishing house; Jean-Pierre Ryngaert, theatre producer, director of the summer university of the contemporary theatrical writing festival "La Mousson d'été" (summer monsoon) Moderator: Arnaud Laporte, journalist, producer-anchor of the France Culture radio programme "Tout arrive !". The 2008/2009 season of Tuesdays in the Grand Palais, managed by Elisabeth Postel-Vinay, will close on June 10. We look forward to seeing you again and exchanging viewpoints in the new season after the summer break! |
A word from the presidentQuadriges celebrates its first anniversary. We designed this monthly electronic newsletter as a way to get closer to you, our public, and give you more insights into the life of this wonderful heritage site. Quadriges turns the spotlight each month on a different aspect of the Grand Palais and brings you interviews, and short news features selected by the EPGCPE (Établissement public du Grand Palais). The results after one year are tremendously encouraging: nearly 6,000 subscribers and a 350% increase in visitors to the Web site. We are pursuing our efforts to improve our public service by introducing new features like the RSS feed that went on line at grandpalais.fr on June 1. This real-time update capability will strengthen our ties with the building's many fans. Happy birthday, Quadriges. Yves Saint-Geours President, Établissement public du Grand Palais New Feeding you the news We are constantly developing the Grandpalais.fr Web site and regularly bring you new features. On June1 we introduced new home page features - "What's on" and "in pictures" - and an RSS (really simple syndication) feed. RSS subscribers will get all the latest news of the Grand Palais as it happens. The events programme, new facilities, innovations… you have access to all the big news in real time. Keep your finger on the pulse! Don’t miss thisInternational Antiquarian Book Fair / International Fine Print Fair 19 - 21 June Nave of the Grand Palais For three days, the Nave is to host the World's biggest book shop: thousands of works at prices ranging from 20 euros to 1 million euros, an enormous choice for every taste and every pocket, plus a selection of original old, modern and contemporary prints. The International Antiquarian Book Fair Web site AgendaSalon du collectionneur 11 - 20 September Nave of the Grand Palais First held in 2003, the Salon du Collectionneur is back in the Nave of the Grand Palais. A key event on the Paris art market, this show, which opens the season, attracts collectors from all over the world. FIAC 22 - 25 October Nave of the Grand Palais 36th edition of this landmark event on the international contemporary market. This autumn again, art will be meeting design in the Nave, where a large number of galleries exhibit major works representative of modernity and contemporary creation. Practical informationRER : ligne C / station Invalides Bus : lignes 28, 42, 52, 72, 73, 80, 83, 93 Vélib : Station n° 8029, 1 av. Franklin-D.-Roosevelt / n° 8001, av. Dutuit Parkings : Rond-Point des Champs-Élysées, place de la Concorde, parc François-Ier, Alma Georges-V, Champs-Élysées Lincoln, Matignon. Personnes à mobilité réduite : accès avenue Winston-Churchill |
 |
|
|
Cancel your subscription to the newsletter
"In accordance with French legislation on the protection of physical persons in connection with the processing of data of a personal nature (Law N° 2004-801 of August 6 2004) amending the prior legislation relative to information technology and civil liberties (law N° 78-17 of January 6 1978), all users having directly or indirectly supplied personal information may request that such information be communicated to them and demand the rectification thereof."
Executive editor: Jean-Paul Cluzel, President La Réunion des musées nationaux – Grand Palais Chief editor: Marie Senk © Grand Palais, 2011 |
|
 |
|
