Show latest news, more from December 2006.
MONUMENTA LAUNCHED
From 2007, the Grand Palais in Paris will become the venue for a new, annual contemporary art event initiated by France's Ministry of Culture and Communications. Monumenta is an ambitious, international initiative presenting a series of creative encounters between leading international contemporary artists. Each year, Monumenta will present new work by a leading living artist, in the historic setting of the Grand Palais, one of the great historic buildings of Paris. Conceived as a monumental exhibition space for the 1900 Exposition Universelle, the Palais has recently been completely restored and renovated. The building's immense glass roof incorporates a dome rising to a height of 45 metres. Its central nave extends for some 200 metres at ground level, covering a surface of 13,500 square metres in a single span. Monumenta gives individual contemporary artists an unparalleled opportunity to engage with this extraordinary environment, expressing their creativity and artistic power to their fullest extent. Part of the Ministry's remit to renew and extend public outreach, Monumenta proposes a new, innovative approach to reaching the wider public and young people, helping them to discover and enjoy new works to the full. A team of professionals from the contemporary art world will work to develop new, relevant IT and educational tools in support of the Monumenta series, together with workshops for young people. Experts will be on hand to discuss the installations, and the work of each artist, with the public at large, exploring a range of themes designed to highlight the importance of the viewer at the epicentre of the artist's world. 'This ambitious, annual, international show will rank alongside a number of other high-profile events in the contemporary art world, with a specific commitment to reach a broad public, through a deliberate policy of innovative cultural mediation and outreach' said Minister of Culture and Communication, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres. 'My hope is that each and every visitor will experience the transporting energy of this extraordinary space.' Monumenta's first three installations will be created by Anselm Kiefer, Richard Serra and Christian Boltanski. For more information (in English), CLICK HERE For more information (in French), CLICK HERE
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