This event, organized by the Ministry of Culture and Communication since 2005, has become a key date in the French cultural calendar. This year, the 15th European Night of Museums will take place this Saturday, May 18, 2019.
From Moscow to Madrid, from London to Istanbul, it is an opportunity for the public to reclaim the masterpieces housed in the nearly 3,000 museums across thirty European countries and more than 1,300 museums in France. These will offer a wide range of programs. It is also a unique moment to visit collections and exhibitions for free and in the evening.
A rich and diverse program, then, punctuated by exchanges, encounters, discoveries, original, participatory, and playful experiences, performances, shows, concerts, screenings, and other unusual trails to enjoy with family or friends.
Once again this year, for the 7th time, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of National Education are offering “La classe, l’oeuvre !” (The class, the artwork!), a program where students (from kindergarten to high school) present artworks on the evening of the European Night of Museums.
The website and the Night’s social media will also be mobilized through special online operations organized with the event’s partners and the #NuitDesMusées.
Table of Contents
Melle Bon Plan’s Paris and Ile-de-France selection:
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The Musée National Picasso-Paris
As part of the Calder-Picasso exhibition and for the European Night of Museums, Yoann Bourgeois and his accomplices are taking over the garden of the Musée national Picasso-Paris with the show Notre Musique (Our Music). Throughout the evening, two artists, their bodies caught in a roly-poly toy, will oscillate in a never-ending imbalance and will suspend time in an intimate and poetic performance.
Saturday, May 18, 2019 from 6:30 PM to midnight Musée National Picasso-Paris 5 Rue de Thorigny, 75003 Paris
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Mona Bismarck American Center
The American Center for Art & Culture presents an exhibition of work by the 2019 graduates of The New School Parsons Paris. Artistic and immersive installations will explore diverse topics such as the relationship between nature and technology, human perception, and social consciousness.
MB American Center 34 avenue de New York, Paris, 75116 France from 6:00 PM to midnight on May 18, 2019
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The Army Museum (musée de l’Armée)
On the program: numerous activities during this Night of Museums at the Musée de l’Armée:
- Between 7:00 PM and midnight, the Musée de l’Armée invites us to relive the daily lives of the men who faced the harsh living conditions of the Napoleonic Wars.
- The Lost Helmet Challenge: Alone or in a group, with family or friends, take on the challenge against the ruthless game masters of the Musée de l’Armée. They are determined to slow down the quest for the lost treasure!
- Exceptional opening of the Picasso and War exhibition.
- In the prestigious setting of the Saint-Louis des Invalides Cathedral, two exceptional concerts by the Air Force Band at 8:30 PM and 10:00 PM (duration: 40 min).
Musée de l'Armée 129 Rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris Free and open access from 7:00 PM to midnight (last entry at 11:30 PM) on May 18, 2019
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The Musée d’Orsay
“The Night of the Models” at the Musée d’Orsay (Paris): for the European Night of Museums, visitors are invited to meet the “exemplary” women and men who inspired the greatest artists, from Manet to the American Glenn Ligon.
Musée d'Orsay 1 Rue de la Légion d'Honneur, 75007 Paris
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UNESCO House
For this edition of the European Night of Museums, UNESCO will exceptionally present major works from its Collection that are not usually accessible to the public: works by Vasarely, Bogart, Guinovart, Brizzi, Portocarrero, among others.
- Free visits, no reservation required, from 7:30 PM to midnight (last entry), welcome at 7, Place de Fontenoy, Paris 7e
- Guided tours, in French, English, or Spanish, lasting about an hour, upon reservation at nuitdesmusees@unesco.org by imperatively indicating your first and last name (nominative spots), and the language and time(s) desired for the visit / visits in French at 7:45 PM, 8:45 PM, 10:30 PM, and 11:00 PM
Saturday, May 18 from 7:30 PM to midnight UNESCO 7, Place de Fontenoy, 75007 Paris
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The Musée du quai Branly
For the 15th European Night of Museums, the Musée du quai Branly offers “flash tours & stories” throughout the evening on the Collection Plateau. All evening long, you can also discover the collections and the Oceania exhibition in the company of tour guides.
from 6:30 PM to midnight Musée du quai Branly 37 Quai Branly, 75007 Paris
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Cité des sciences et de l’industrie and the Palais de la découverte
A scientific and festive weekend will take place on May 18 and 19 at the Cité des sciences et de l’industrie and the Palais de la découverte.
- At the Cité des sciences et de l’industrie, permanent exhibitions, temporary exhibitions Grande vitesse ferroviaire (High-Speed Rail), Corps et Sport (Body and Sport), Cabanes (Huts), and Microbiote (Microbiota), as well as the Planetarium*, are accessible.
- At the Palais de la découverte, the temporary exhibitions Poison and Illusions are to be discovered. Unusual encounters with young researchers, a space-time journey, and recreational strolls to approach scientific disciplines differently are offered to visitors.
from 7:00 PM to 1:00 AM on Saturday, May 18, 2019 Cité des sciences et de l’industrie / 30, avenue Corentin-Cariou 75019 Paris Palais de la découverte / avenue Franklin-Roosevelt 75008 Paris
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The National Archaeology Museum – National Domain of Saint-Germain-en-Laye
This year’s program of course pays tribute to archaeology but also echoes the temporary exhibition of the moment: Henri II. Renaissance at Saint-Germain-en-Laye. There will be tours on the themes of Prehistory or the Renaissance, not to mention games and activities to do with family or friends.
New this year is an original activity entirely imagined and designed by the museum teams: the Sinistre présage (Ominous Omen) family investigation. In order to solve a terrible murder, visitors, formed into groups of investigators, must search, question the suspects and key witnesses of the case to lift the veil on one of the many mysteries surrounding the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
National Archaeology Museum Domaine National de Saint-Germain-en-Laye place Charles de Gaulle 78100 Saint-Germain-en-Laye from 6:00 PM to midnight on May 18, 2019
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Night journey in the Hauts-de-Seine Department
For the European Night of Museums, the Hauts-de-Seine Departmental Council offers cultural meetings in the participating museums of the department.
Including:
- Musée du Domaine départemental de Sceaux: on the program, a murder party, a visit to the Pavillon de l’Aurore, or the “Dessiner un Jardin” (Drawing a Garden) exhibition.
- A games evening at the Musée de la Carte à Jouer (Playing Card Museum) in Issy-les-Moulineaux.
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The National Gendarmerie Museum
The National Gendarmerie Museum in Melun will follow the movement by offering its visitors a special event around the dog, one of the gendarme’s most famous companions.
On the program:
- Activities planned with the CNICGN (National Gendarmerie Cynophile Instruction Center)
- Four guided tours: Flash tours of the permanent route and the temporary exhibition will be organized starting at 5:00 PM. The exhibition “Des animaux et des gendarmes” (Of animals and gendarmes),
- The “Mon beau miroir” (My beautiful mirror) workshop: create your own souvenir!
Saturday, May 18: Free admission to all activities between 2:00 PM and 11:00 PM National Gendarmerie Museum 1-3 Rue Emile Leclerc, 77000 Melun
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It only remains for me to wish you all a very beautiful night, under the sign of museums and culture.
