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The Grand Palais newsletter |
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n°1, june 2008 |
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Front pageMonumenta 2008, Richard Serra's "Promenade" : last days Visitors discovering the work of Richard Serra in the Nave of the Grand Palais © Coll. Grand Palais, photo Didier Plowy The great American artist Richard Serra, celebrated for his monumental sculptures, has brought an original and masterly piece to this year's Monumenta. For one more week, his five immense slabs of steel make an imposing statement in the Nave of the Grand Palais. Walking between these metal giants with their patina of rust is a unique experience. More than just an aesthetic shock, it is a confrontation with one's personal sense of finiteness, place in the scheme of things, corporeality. A literally vertiginous encounter. FocusA look behind the scenes Modeling the quadrigas was the toughest part of the job © Jean Silvant The Grand Palais was built in three years, but how long did it take to reconstruct it in 3D computer imagery? From photos to three-dimensional modelling via calculations, lighting and some unexpected challenges, Quadriges explains a technological and artistic achievement: the making of the virtual tour, step by step…  The mediators at Monumenta © Coll. Grand Palais, photo Didier Plowy Quadriges had three questions for Aurélie Lesous, visitor mediation officer at Monumenta 2008. Quadriges: Mediation at Monumenta has been a great success. Can you tell us more about how you approached mediation, and who are the mediators? The Centre national des arts plastiques was behind the idea of using mediators to welcome visitors to Monumenta and show them round. The mediation was designed to cater to a very broad public. Mediators essentially invite visitors to walk round with them and talk with them. It is a very interactive experience. The aim is to develop a fresher, more human relationship with the art works, based on exchanging ideas and discussion. The central idea is that visitors have the The mediators who work at the Centre national des arts plastiques and the assistant mediators at EPGPCE (the body that runs the Grand Palais) are either post-graduate students or professors in contemporary arts, or students in art history, architecture or mediation. Quadriges: Who does cultural mediation target? All audiences, irrespective of age or how much they know about art, because mediators adapt as they get to know the visitor. There are mediators in the exhibition space, at lectures and mediators specially for the young, but all are available to all members of the public. The cultural programme and the free audio guide have been integrated with the mediation organisation at Monumenta 2008. Quadriges: In what ways does mediation enhance the visit for young people who have come to see the work of Richard Serra at the Grand Palais? When we are mediating with young people our aim is to open up avenues, give them things to think about, intersect different educational areas: it is an opportunity to find out about the world, English and other languages, literature, science, architecture and the material arts. We designed workshops around the issues that are key for Richard Serra: balance, weight, tension, sculpture, architecture, in situ work. The aim was to create awareness among the young audience, not only of Serra's work, but of contemporary art in general; and it works! At the end of the visit, a lot of young people have been reluctant to leave! True stories : June 1 1995Three questions forOnce upon a time there was... Le Grand MeaulnesOn June 1 1905, Ascension Day, a student paid a visit to the Salon de la Nationale in the Grand Palais. As he walked down the stone staircase he exchanged glances with a young woman. She was blonde, elegant, nineteen. Bewitched, the young man followed her on the paddle steamer from Cours-la-Reine to her house in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. A few days later, he plucked up the courage to approach her, but the belle was already engaged and out of reach. The anecdote would have remained almost mundane if the main protagonist had not been the writer Alain-Fournier. The image of the young woman was to provide the inspiration for the poetic Yvonne de Galais, central character of one of the twentieth century's classic novels, Le Grand Meaulnes. Only Fournier's death in action in 1914 would curtail his obsession with this life-changing encounter. NewsPublication of Gilles Plum's book "Le Grand Palais" © Editions du patrimoine/ Centre des monuments nationaux Published by the Centre des monuments nationaux (Éditions du patrimoine), this richly illustrated book gives a detailed account of the history of the Grand Palais. From conception, construction, decoration, to its role in Paris life, it chronicles a history of metamorphoses, and offers some surprising insights into the architecture of the building. |
A word from the PresidentSince the Grand Palais was completed in 1900 its magical, demanding artistic ethos and constantly busy and exciting programme has drawn millions of visitors. Over the years it has forged a very strong link with the public, nourished by the imagination, enchantment and emotion that have been created by the events staged in the Nave. The public's loyalty honours us, and it is to strengthen this bond that we have created the new grandpalais.fr Web site with its monthly newsletter: Quadriges. The Quadrigas are first and foremost the two monumental bronze sculptures that stand atop the facade of the Grand Palais. But that's not all. The horses have a sense of impetuosity, passion and momentum that evokes precisely what we hope to achieve with the building: the creation of a space of freedom where anything and everything can come to life. Yves Saint-Geours, President, EPGPCE (Etablissement public du Grand Palais) Press2008-2010 Action PlanThe 2008/2010 Action Plan sets out four main focuses for the development of the Grand Palais over the next three years: the completion of restoration work, the start of a major development programme that will double the available floor space, programme themes, and improved visitor facilities. Monumenta 2008, Richard Serra, "Promenade" May 7 to June 15 2008 The Nave of the Grand Palais A highlight of the international contemporary arts calendar, Monumenta each year offers a leading artist an opportunity to pit his wits against the monumental Nave of the Grand Palais, by creating a wholly original work on a very large scale. After Anselm Kiefer in 2007, Richard Serra took up the challenge this year. Dances for Summer, Les Grands Ballets canadiens de Montréal From July 21 to August 9 2008 Nave of the Grand Palais For the second year running, Dances for Summer is to be held in the nave of the Grand Palais. This year's guests are the Grands Ballets canadiens. DiaryPractical 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 |
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Executive editor: Jean-Paul Cluzel, President La Réunion des musées nationaux – Grand Palais Chief editor: Marie Senk © Grand Palais, 2011 |
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