The Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, free until 11 October in tribute to the former President of the Republic, the origin of its creation, saw its attendance flying this weekend according to figures provided by the establishment to AFP.
Nearly 20,000 people Sunday
Sunday, the museum dedicated to the first arts, which had been renamed "Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac" in 2016, welcomed 19,590 visitors. A remarkable level, the museum usually welcoming 3,000 to 5,000 visitors on Sunday (excluding the first Sunday of the month where it is free), depending on the program and activities offered. Since the announcement of the death of the former president on Thursday, a total of 37,690 visitors have been to the museum, according to a statement made by the institution.
And above all, this large affluence is accompanied by a strong emotion: many visitors sign the guestbook in memory of Jacques Chirac and gather in front of the large portraits arranged in the museum, for some in tears. The government decided Friday to make admission to the museum free until October 11. In addition, always in tribute to the former president, the staff and partners of the Quai Branly present this Monday, the weekly closing day to the public, will be invited to respect a minute of silence at 3 pm, as in all public institutions.
Chirac "introduced us to African arts"
Since last week, the establishment has been offering a temporary exhibition dedicated to acquisitions made since 1998, the date of the creation of the museum's public institution, which was opened in 2006. Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, businessman, patron and former president of Agence France Muséums (body that oversaw the project of the Louvre Abu Dhabi), welcomed the contribution of the former president to the dialogue between civilizations, he who "initiated us to African arts but more generally to everything that contributes, in the field of culture, to our common humanity ".
"It is to Jacques Chirac that we owe our commitments in museum action in France and abroad, especially with the immense success of the Quai Branly museum, the creation of the Louvre in Abu Dhabi and the 'Association of museums unknown to the Mediterranean that supports the diversity of cultures of this geographical area,' said in a statement the founder and leader of the group Fimalac.