After a century, the Olympic Games are once again returning to Paris, the hometown of Coubertin, the father of the modern Olympic Games. As the Olympic Games approach, a series of cultural and creative events related to the Olympics are taking place in cultural institutions and public spaces across France, and museums in Paris are not far behind. On the occasion of the "International Museum Day on May 18", let's go into these museums to find their own relationship with the 100-year history of the Olympic Games, and "capture" the unique and diverse DNA of the Olympic Games.
Promoting the spirit of sportsmanship, museums large and small in Paris "show their powers"
As the countdown to the Paris Olympics begins, the museums in Paris take the opportunity to present a variety of Olympic-themed "feasts".
China News Service reported that the Louvre Museum began the exhibition "Olympics: Modern Inventions, Ancient Heritage" on April 24. The exhibition will show the public the creation of the first Olympic Games of the modern era and the sources of its images, as well as explore the political context behind them. Through this exhibition, visitors can learn how French and Greek figures, represented by Pierre de Coubertin, reinvented the ancient Greek game at the end of the 19th century and created this global sporting event. Delve into the reinvention of the Olympic Games in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The ongoing exhibition "The Olympic Spirit, Modern Inventions, Ancient Heritage" at the Louvre. (Image source: screenshot of sortirdeparis official website)
The Paris Numismatic Museum is on display a number of valuable objects, including medals from the 1924 Paris Olympics, which are still shining today despite being made 100 years ago. According to reports, the medals are engraved with harps, reflecting the cultural nature of the Olympic Games; There is also an arch made of equipment from various Olympic events, with the French inscription "Paris 1924 VIII" engraved in the middle.
The Holocaust Memorial in the 4th arrondissement of Paris is also on display on March 29, with an exhibition titled "The Olympics: A Mirror of Society" that focuses on Nazi Germany's Berlin Olympics in 1936 and the Olympics in 1968 and 1972, to highlight how the values defended by sport can in turn influence totalitarian societies.
The Olympic exhibition at the Palais des Gilded Gates in Paris is themed "World History", with nearly 600 works that bring together historical events, sports figures and great historical witnesses to take visitors on a behind-the-scenes journey through the 33 Olympic Games from Athens 1896 to Paris 2024.
Exhibition on the theme "Marathon – The Race of the Messenger" at the Musée des Postes in Paris. (Image source: screenshot of sortirdeparis official website)
The Musée du Luxembourg in Paris has opened an exhibition on the theme of sports design, focusing on the role of design in the development of sports and the connection between the two fields.
The Paulo Eluar Museum of Art and History focuses on the athlete's body and the training, measurement, care, development and twisting that surrounds it, with the aim of showing how the body in motion becomes a vehicle for affirmation, liberation and even protest.
Many museums that seem to have nothing to do with sports are also involved. For example, the famous Impressionist museum Mamodan Museum is holding the "Bet! 1870-1930 Artists and Sports". The exhibition aims to show the connection between art and sports, artists and male and female athletes, and how athletes have become the subject of modernity and avant-garde. The Musée des Arts Décoratifs held the exhibition "Fashion and Sport, from Runway to Runway". Fashion and sports may seem distant, but they are also about the embodiment of the body in society.
Feel the charm of the Olympics Cultural activities are blooming at many points in the Olympic Games
In addition to thematic exhibitions, there are also many museums in Paris that offer cultural events related to the Olympic Games, with the aim of making the Olympic spirit accessible to audiences of all ages through interactive educational activities.
Chengdu Red Star News Network reported that on April 23, the Louvre Museum in Paris announced that it would launch a special cultural event before the Olympic Games - a series of sports classes such as yoga, dance and fitness will be held in the museum. Citizens and tourists can enjoy world-famous paintings and sculptures while playing sports, and feel the collision of art and sports.
It is reported that the courses include a variety of genres, including disco, ballroom dancing, yoga and aerobics, which not only provide visitors with a unique physical and mental experience, but also make the atmosphere of the museum more active and interactive.
Yoga classes are particularly engaging, allowing participants to enjoy physical and mental relaxation while admiring an unrivalled collection of art.
Musée d'Orsay plans to partner with Airbnb to launch an Olympic-themed stay. The figure is a schematic diagram. (Image source: Screenshot of Airbnb's official website)
The Musée d'Orsay in France also offers special events. The station-turned-museum has partnered with Airbnb's booking platform to house a bedroom in its iconic bell tower that has been lovingly renovated by Matthew Rayhannier, the designer of the Paris Olympic torch. Guests who are fortunate enough to book will be able to enjoy a fantastic view of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on the Seine, which runs through the city for the first time on the Seine.
The Palais Bourbon, home of the French National Assembly (House of Commons), exhibits on its steps six sculptures representing the Olympic spirit, each embodying an Olympic sport: basketball, boxing, javelin, archery, surfing and tennis, all of which feature female figures holding objects representing their sport, with the aim of embodying inclusivity, symbolizing equal rights and the fight against discrimination.
According to the official website of the French Tourist Board, since 2023, the European Heritage Days have begun to focus on sports cultural heritage. Several Parisian museums are involved in the event, such as the Musée d'Orsay, which features a performance by a zipline artist in its halls.
Practicing the concept of "Cultural Olympiad" and presenting the connection between sports and art
The Paris Olympics not only wanted to leave a unique experience for spectators and athletes, but also focused on cultural openness and the connection between sport and the arts, and museums were one of the most important links.
Screenshot of the short film "Opening the Door to the Olympics in the Museum". (Image source: screenshot of the official website)
Last December, the French Tourism Development Agency, in collaboration with the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee, released a short film entitled "Opening the Doors to the Olympics in the Museum", in which two dancers reinterpret Olympic sports such as breakdancing, fencing, skateboarding and basketball in iconic cultural venues such as the Petit Palais, as well as observe iconic French paintings, inviting visitors from all over the world to experience the Olympic spirit and discover an inspiring, bold and inclusive France.
The Paris mayor's office has said that the Paris Olympics are "the first time in the history of the Games that the host city aims to create a people's games where the Olympic passion can be shared in the venue and outside the stadium, in the city center, in every region." Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris Organising Committee, said that one of the goals of the Paris Olympics is to share this unique sporting event with as many people as possible, and that Paris will present a new model of events that is open to all and celebrates, with a special focus on the aspirations of the younger generation to provide the best Olympic experience.
Paris Olympic and Paralympic mascot. (Photo source: Xinhua News Agency)
Agence France-Presse reported that the "Cultural Olympiad" is a major concept advocated by the Paris Olympics, launched in 2021 to enrich the connection between art and sports. Throughout the year, nearly 2,500 cultural and artistic events will be held throughout France, with Paris as the center, inviting countries from all over the world to participate in the cultural games.
"With the first Cultural Olympics, we have demonstrated the spirit of unity. It is an opportunity to celebrate the commonalities between sport and culture, as well as the similarities in values, ideas and diversity between the two. Estangue said.
(Editor: Autumn Beaver)