- At the Musée Fabre, the exhibition on Jean Ranc having been stopped by the Covid-19 epidemic, the metropolis of Montpellier decided to extend it until June 28.
- In particular, it was necessary to convince the lending museums.
- This crisis could have an impact on the economic model of museums.
At the Musée Fabre, in Montpellier (Hérault), Jean Ranc's masterpieces were not picked up, as they had to be, on April 26. The Covid-19 having deprived art lovers, for more than two months, of this retrospective devoted to this genius portrait painter, the metropolis decided that it would be extended until June 28.
"We extended it, because Jean Ranc is part of the Montpellier heritage, and the visitors did not have time to take advantage of it, confides Bernard Travier (DvG), the metropolitan elected representative for culture. The exhibition is splendid, there are breathtaking canvases. "I received rains of messages from people who could not see the exhibition," says Michel Hilaire, the museum's curator.
"True solidarity between museums"
It required, however, the agreement of partner museums, some of which loaned works, such as the Prado Museum, the National Museum in Stockholm and the Palace of Versailles. "We had to negotiate, of course, with the lenders," says Michel Hilaire. During the confinement, we contacted everyone. Extension was possible, none claimed a work. It must be said that the European dimension of the crisis played a role in this decision. All museums have been affected in the same way. Myself, for the fifteen paintings from the museum that were used here and there, I accepted the extensions. "There is real solidarity between museums, it is in everyone's interest," notes Bertrand Travier. Everyone's calendars have been shifted. "
The impact of this type of pandemic is not really foreseen in the contracts that bind museums together, when creating exhibitions. "It's quite new," says Michel Hilaire. And I think that this health crisis will now be taken into account in the new loan contracts. Insurance has also been extended.
"A museum that remains closed for months goes to death"
This all has a cost. And for Bernard Travier, the reopening of the museum was necessary, as soon as the signals were green. This has been the case since June 2. "A museum that remains closed for months goes to death," explains the elected official to the culture. As far as sanitary conditions permitted, it was absolutely necessary to reopen. Ticketing is important. When you don't go to a place for months, you don't think about it anymore. It breaks your palatability. But it can also have the opposite effect. I, who am a cinema buff, I have for example only one haste, it is that the cinema Utopia reopens! It can also be the same for exhibitions. "
At the Musée Fabre, as in other cultural establishments, no insurance has been used to cover operating losses. "But we will get away with it, it's a metropolitan museum," continues Bernard Travier. We must now have a real reflection on the economic model of museums. We are in acceptable costs. But imagine an exhibition like "Tutankhamun", in Paris, in full pandemic. There were millions of euros committed, it was the assured death of the equipment. "
For two weeks, the museum has reopened. And even if there is no crowd, "it comes back". All visitors must wear a mask, and a gauge was set at 70 people in the exhibition dedicated to Jean Ranc and 240 throughout the museum. "Visiting the museum right now is almost a luxury," notes Michel Hilaire. There are fewer people, and we can have magic moments, facing the works. "
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- Languedoc-Roussillon
- Painting
- Deconfinement
- Coronavirus
- Museum
- Montpellier