Laurence des Cars takes over as Louvre president in September / Photo: Franck Ferville
Laurence des Cars is to become the first female president of the Louvre, following her appointment by French president Emmanuel Macron.
Art historian des Cars is currently president of the Musée d’Orsay and L’Orangerie in Paris, and will take over from Jean-Luc Martinez at the Louvre in September 2021.
According to a statement by the French culture ministry, des Cars will focus on fostering a “dialogue between ancient art and the contemporary world” and widening the appeal of the Louvre, particularly for young people. She has pledged to extend the museum’s opening hours in order to make it more accessible for working people – it currently closes at 5.30pm.
“I’m deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by the President of the French Republic and the Minister of Culture in appointing me as head of this tremendous museum,” said des Cars.
“My ambition is to place the Louvre at the core of topical debates, and for it to foster reflection on all issues within society.
“Through its ‘longue durée approach’, the Louvre gives relevance to the present, it is wholeheartedly contemporary and can therefore speak volumes to today’s youth.
“The recent crisis has had a particularly destabilising impact, and has forced us to consider economic balances and to rethink – despite the constraints – the museum visit in terms of an exceptional experience,” she said.
A general curator of heritage, specialising in 19th and early 20th-century art, Laurence des Cars began her career at the Musée d’Orsay, before overseeing the development of the Louvre Abu Dhabi between 2007 and 2014. Over the past four years, she has worked on broadening the appeal of the Musée d’Orsay and L’Orangerie, expanding the programme of exhibitions and live shows. In 2019, she oversaw the acclaimed exhibition Black models: from Géricault to Matisse at the Musée d’Orsay, which focused on the representation of black figures in visual arts, and in 2020 announced major transformation plans for the museum.
Des Cars plans to invite a range of contemporary artists and collaborators to the Louvre to enrich its work, while also emphasising the history of the museum.
“I want to see the great scholars who make the Louvre what it is, share their knowledge with absolute openness,” she said. “I also want to give modern-day creators the opportunity to express themselves.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2021 issue 2
Museums: Museum of everything
At Depot Van Beuningen, a new kind of museum is taking shape, with the whole collection on show
Interview: Joe Pine
From mass customised itineraries to hybrid experiences, the pandemic is influencing attractions trends, says thought leader, Joe Pine
Disney: The Art of Marvel
Disneyland Paris has opened its new Marvel-inspired hotel. Art director Caroline May tells us what made it such a special project to work on
Interview: Nicolas de Villiers
As Puy du Fou opens its first park outside France, its president tells Attractions Management about his ambitious global plans and why China is next on his radar
Research: All creatures great and small
Large, charismatic animals drive footfall to zoos, but there are more unusual ways of boosting attendance, says Yvonne Buckley
Research: Power of youth
Teenage volunteers can help tween visitors get more out of their visits to science centres, new research shows
Disney: Reach for the stars
Dreamed up by Star Wars fans and brought to life by Disney Imagineers – a sneak peek at the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser hotel experience
Research: Animal magic
A national study in Japan has shown how partnering with entertainment companies can help drive visits and donations to zoos
Museums: The way we live
London’s Museum of the Home has reopened after a major refurbishment. We hear from the architects and museum director
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
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Laurence des Cars takes over as Louvre president in September / Photo: Franck Ferville
Laurence des Cars is to become the first female president of the Louvre, following her appointment by French president Emmanuel Macron.
Art historian des Cars is currently president of the Musée d’Orsay and L’Orangerie in Paris, and will take over from Jean-Luc Martinez at the Louvre in September 2021.
According to a statement by the French culture ministry, des Cars will focus on fostering a “dialogue between ancient art and the contemporary world” and widening the appeal of the Louvre, particularly for young people. She has pledged to extend the museum’s opening hours in order to make it more accessible for working people – it currently closes at 5.30pm.
“I’m deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by the President of the French Republic and the Minister of Culture in appointing me as head of this tremendous museum,” said des Cars.
“My ambition is to place the Louvre at the core of topical debates, and for it to foster reflection on all issues within society.
“Through its ‘longue durée approach’, the Louvre gives relevance to the present, it is wholeheartedly contemporary and can therefore speak volumes to today’s youth.
“The recent crisis has had a particularly destabilising impact, and has forced us to consider economic balances and to rethink – despite the constraints – the museum visit in terms of an exceptional experience,” she said.
A general curator of heritage, specialising in 19th and early 20th-century art, Laurence des Cars began her career at the Musée d’Orsay, before overseeing the development of the Louvre Abu Dhabi between 2007 and 2014. Over the past four years, she has worked on broadening the appeal of the Musée d’Orsay and L’Orangerie, expanding the programme of exhibitions and live shows. In 2019, she oversaw the acclaimed exhibition Black models: from Géricault to Matisse at the Musée d’Orsay, which focused on the representation of black figures in visual arts, and in 2020 announced major transformation plans for the museum.
Des Cars plans to invite a range of contemporary artists and collaborators to the Louvre to enrich its work, while also emphasising the history of the museum.
“I want to see the great scholars who make the Louvre what it is, share their knowledge with absolute openness,” she said. “I also want to give modern-day creators the opportunity to express themselves.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2021 issue 2
Museums: Museum of everything
At Depot Van Beuningen, a new kind of museum is taking shape, with the whole collection on show
Interview: Joe Pine
From mass customised itineraries to hybrid experiences, the pandemic is influencing attractions trends, says thought leader, Joe Pine
Disney: The Art of Marvel
Disneyland Paris has opened its new Marvel-inspired hotel. Art director Caroline May tells us what made it such a special project to work on
Interview: Nicolas de Villiers
As Puy du Fou opens its first park outside France, its president tells Attractions Management about his ambitious global plans and why China is next on his radar
Research: All creatures great and small
Large, charismatic animals drive footfall to zoos, but there are more unusual ways of boosting attendance, says Yvonne Buckley
Research: Power of youth
Teenage volunteers can help tween visitors get more out of their visits to science centres, new research shows
Disney: Reach for the stars
Dreamed up by Star Wars fans and brought to life by Disney Imagineers – a sneak peek at the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser hotel experience
Research: Animal magic
A national study in Japan has shown how partnering with entertainment companies can help drive visits and donations to zoos
Museums: The way we live
London’s Museum of the Home has reopened after a major refurbishment. We hear from the architects and museum director
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively
to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using
colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work).
The government of Thailand is exploring plans for a THB300bn (£6.3bn, US$8.3bn)
entertainment complex in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials
proposing a large-scale theme park and sports destination as part of a broader tourism and
economic development strategy.
Royal Caribbean has revealed its Hero of the Seas cruise ship, home to the most pools at sea
(nine), and a record-breaking 28 dining venues, as well as attractions including a waterpark
with two new family raft slides.
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