Today and tomorrow are the annual "Days of the Patrimony" here in France and presumably other places in Europe as well-- the weekend, during which museums are free and government buildings are open to the visiting public, was made official by the European Council in 1991. I don't know how it's celebrated elsewhere, but here, it seems to be a big deal-- the streets and métro platforms were packed with French tourists, and everywhere from the National Archives to L'Elysée (the presidential residence) were free for visitors all day long, with President Sarkozy actually greeting guests at the latter.
It is easy to understand why these events are so popular here. For the French, the patrimoine is not just a set of monuments or institutions, but something to be discussed at length, and actively protected, whether that protection means keeping museums and monuments well-maintained, or trying to make every French student read certain famous patriotic texts, as Sarkozy wants to do with the famous letter of Guy Môquet (not-too-great English translation here)
I chose to celebrate my host country's culture not by (re)reading the letter of the killed resistance fighter, or even shaking Sarko's hand. Instead, I visited the Senate, which was less notable for all of its desk, tables, and microphones, than for its awful baroqueness. Awful is a strong word-- the whole building was magnificent, and quite lovely if you think that covering every possible surface with gilt and trompe-l'oeil marble painting is the height of taste.
I know, I know-- the only way to really judge a piece is in its cultural context. I appreciate the time and attention to detail it takes to ensure that every possible surface is painted, sculpted, and/or covered in gold, but on a personal level? I find this era of art kind of gross.
I haven't decided what to see tomorrow-- if I can get a group together, a picnic at Versailles would be really, really nice. I promise this time I'll bring my camera.
15 September 2007
Journées du Patrimoine
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2 comments:
random question: have you been to versaille yet? i only ever got to go in the gardens because i was a poor kid when i went there last, but the gardens alone are worth it! i know i should probably be taking advantage of the journees du patrimoine" but instead i'm going into sketchy neighborhoods and watching crazy people dance in the street!
I think they were doing the patrimony thing when I was in Madrid (this time a year ago! wahh!) except being Madrid they had this great thing called "La noche en blanco" (the sleepless night) where not only was everything free, but it was open until obscene hours of the morning. I got a little overwhelmed by all the options and didn't end up getting to see much, but I checked out the Picasso's Guernica exhibit at 3 in the morning and then had chocolate y churros so not a bad thing.
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