More
than one hundred directors of French art museums have signed an open letter to French minister of culture Roselyne
Bachelot-Narquin imploring her to allow cultural institutions, shuttered since
November owing to an autumn spike in Covid-19 cases, to reopen, even in a limited
capacity. Delivered today, the missive comes on the heels of President Emanuel
Macron’s January 29 announcement that he would not lock the country down a
third time amid a surge in coronavirus cases but that museums, among other
entities, would have to remain closed.
For French arts institutions, which have struggled
tremendously since the first Covid-19-related lockdown in the spring, the news
was disappointing and marked the third time the projected date for reopening
had shifted, first from December 15; then, robbing them of the profitable holiday season, January 7;
and finally, to the end of January.
In the letter, the directors acknowledged that they
understand the severity of the Covid-19 crisis but point to the efforts they
have undertaken in order to welcome visitors, among them reduced capacity,
enhanced security, and rigorous health protocols. They note also the
psychological and emotional benefits to the public of cultural institutions and
argue that they should be among the first to open in aid of the citizenry.
“For an hour, for a day, for a week or for a month,
let us half open our doors, even if we have to close them,” in the event of
another lockdown or expanded health measures, the directors pleaded. “We
express the wish to be able to take care of visitors now, because it seems
essential to us that places of culture can once again offer a sensitive aid to
mental well-being to cope with this crisis. Art, like health, helps heal the
human soul.”
Among the letter’s signatories are Quentin Bajac of
the Jeu de Palme, Fabrice Hergott of the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de
Paris, and Emma Lavigne of the Palais de Tokyo, all in Paris; Isabelle
Bertolotti of MAC, Musée d’Art Contemporain, Lyon; Nicolas Borriaud of
Montpellier Contemporain; Chiara Parisi of the Centre Pompidou-Metz; and
Christoph Wiesner of Rencontres d’Arles.
The directors have
their work cut out for them. New additional restrictions announced included a
countrywide 6 p.m. curfew and the closing of the nation’s borders to all but
essential travel to and from countries outside the European Union, with those
travelers arriving from within the bloc required to show a negative Covid test.
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