Paris museums prepare for the Olympic Games
The capital's 14 museums presented their projects for the Olympics and unveiled exhibitions for September.
By 2022, the 14 City of Paris museums had returned to their pre-Covid-19 attendance levels. In fact, the number of visitors increased to 4.5 million – a "historic" peak, according to a report by Carine Rolland, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of culture, and Anne-Sophie de Gasquet, executive director of the public institution Paris Musées, at a press presentation on June 20.
In 2021, after two years marked by the pandemic and its hindrance to cultural life, exhibitions and collections received 2.2 million visitors. Several establishments – museums like the Musée Carnavalet, the Musée Bourdelle and the Palais Galliera – benefited from major renovations, which have had a positive effect on the number of visitors.
In the run-up to the 2024 Olympic Games, expected to bring to Paris a large number of foreign visitors, Paris Musées has planned either a specific tour or an exhibition for each of its establishments revolving around the theme of "Art and Sport." The Palais Galliera will offer a presentation entitled "Fashion in Motion." The Musée de la Vie Romantique will devote an exhibit to horses painted by Théodore Géricault. And equestrianism will also be given pride of place at the Musée Cernuschi, with a tour focusing on equestrian art in China.

Athletes involved in the Resistance
The Musée Carnavalet, dedicated to the history of Paris, will take visitors back to the 1924 Olympic Games, while the Maison Victor-Hugo will look at fencing in the writer's family. Meanwhile, the Musée Bourdelle has decided to combine art and archery through encounters, drawings and gouaches on the theme of combat. Finally, the Musée de la Libération de Paris will be highlighting great athletes who took part in the Resistance during the Second World War.
Before the sports exhibits begin, an attractive line-up is being prepared for September. At the Musée d'Art Moderne, art lovers will be able to discover a major retrospective of the work of Nicolas de Staël and his private collections, never before unveiled, as well as an exhibition devoted to contemporary American artist Dana Schutz.
The Musée Carnavalet will focus on La Régence in Paris (1715-1723) and stories from the Fontaine des Innocents ("Fountain of Innocents"). The Petit Palais will present prints by great masters such as Rembrandt, Goya, Van Dyck and Toulouse-Lautrec, before Paris at the time of the Belle Epoque and the Roaring Twenties takes center stage in November.
The Musée Cernuschi will be showcasing the immense Asian art collection of industrialist and art lover Henri Cernuschi, brought back from his trip to Asia in 1873. As for sculpture, the Musée Zadkine will trace the career of Ukrainian artist Chana Orloff. Last but not least, the Palais Galliera will be exhibiting the heritage collections of fashion designer Azzedine Alaïa, never before seen by the public.
