Reopening
Monnaie de Paris
11 quai de Conti
75006 Paris
France
www.monnaiedeparis.fr
In the run-up to the reopening on 25 October, Monnaie de Paris proudly presents Your Name in Lights, a major recent work by Los Angeles artist John Baldessari. From 13 September, 100,000 people will have the chance to glimpse their name in lights for a few seconds on a glittering 30-meter display towering over the City of Light between the Pont des Arts and Pont Neuf bridges. Members of the public are invited to sign up via the Monnaie de Paris website to enjoy their 15 seconds of fame.
On view from 25 October 2014 to 4 January 2015, Chocolate Factory by Paul McCarthy will mark the beginning of a new phase of contemporary art programs at Monnaie de Paris curated by Chiara Parisi, the Director of Cultural Programs.
Founded in 864 A.D., located on the Quai de Conti, Monnaie de Paris is the oldest French institution. The MétaLmorphoses project, which started in 2007–08, aims to open up to the public what was until now considered as an impenetrable vault on the banks of the Seine. The goal is to create a wonderful place to walk around and explore, allowing people to discover Monnaie de Paris’s various master craftsmen and workshops, along with their productions, but also temporary contemporary art exhibitions in this exceptional 18th-century building. Metalworking, which is at the very heart of the institution’s DNA, is the core of the MétaLmorphoses project.
Starting in October, Monnaie de Paris will run a program of four exhibitions per year. It will link the contemporary art scene with the oldest active manufacture in France. International artists are invited to produce monographic projects on site with the aim of establishing a dialogue between contemporary art and this historical UNESCO world heritage site.
At the center of this new cultural activity, each part, as part of the Factory program, a contemporary artist will be invited to create an artwork within the Quai de Conti workshops and the Pessac factory. Through this exchange of values and craftsmanship, Factory already builds bridges between Monnaie de Paris and leading personalities of contemporary art. This creates a resonance between today’s artistic world and the unique time-honored techniques developed by the craftsmen.
This great transformation project manifests the strong will to highlight French savoir-faire by supporting the minting craftsmen while opening Monnaie de Paris up to the world by inviting international contemporary artists.
Director of Communication
Guillaume Robic
T + 33 (0)1 40 46 58 18 / guillaume.robic [at] monnaiedeparis.fr
Claudine Colin Communication
Press contact
Avril Boisneault
T + 33 (0)1 42 72 60 01 / avril [at] claudinecolin.com
