French museums, closed for six months, write letter to Macron: 'let us reopen'

Museums in France have been closed continuously for nearly six months: to date there are 176 days of continuous closure, but they will soon exceed 200 because no reopenings are planned before mid-May (and even the latter deadline is in doubt anyway). Thus, five major entities that bring together many French museums, namely the National Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the Fédération des écomusées et musées de société, CIPAC Fédération des professionnels de l’art contemporain, Amcsti - réseau national des professionnels des cultures scientifique, technique et industrielle, and the Plein Sud network have written a letter to the president of the republic, Emmanuel Macron, to request reopenings.

“Monsieur le Président,” the text reads, “the members of our organizations and networks, representing a wide variety of museums and exhibition spaces in France, are uneasy. Uneasy about the situation related to the pandemic, but also uneasy about the absence, for many weeks, of information and dialogue about the calendar of reopenings of our cultural institutions. For the past year, the venues we represent have proven their willingness to tirelessly adapt to all sanitary measures and their readiness to welcome their audiences, staff and artists, in the strictest and most scrupulous compliance with anti-pandemic protocols and measures. Two months ago it was announced that the museums and exhibition spaces, closed since Oct. 30, would be ”the first convened on reopenings,“ as soon as a Covid descent was established.”

“What happened to that promise of early reopening? Despite the fact that we were first on the list of reopenings,” the museums conclude, “we now learn from the press that this agenda has again been called into question. In the summer of 2020 we had been the first to reopen without any outbreaks occurring. We were prepared. The public, enthusiastic and reassured, responded in kind. And now again we are ready to reopen in mid-May. We therefore insistently ask your permission to open the doors of our spaces so that we can again give art and culture the full place they should have in society.”

At the moment, however, it is not known exactly if and when the French museums, which have been tried by six months of uninterrupted closures, will be able to reopen their doors, and no comment or news is leaking out from the authorities.

French museums, closed for six months, write letter to Macron: 'let us reopen'

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.