FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2017 is a year for celebration in Paris and the rest of France, offering a delectable assortment of cultural initiatives, major openings and anniversaries for all to come and experience and fall in love with France.
These countrywide developments and major events will allow visitors to explore along the way France’s diverse landscapes and heritage – from renewed cities to medieval villages, enticing vineyards, towering alpine settings, pristine countryside, and the expanses of the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts.
• December 15, 2016
Opening of the Lascaux IV, the complete facsimile of the most famous prehistoric cave in the world. Click here for details.
• February 23 to May 22,2017
Major Vermeer retrospective at the Louvre: "Tout contre Vermeer", Masters of genre painting in the Golden Age at Musée du Louvre. Click here for details.
• April 2017
Opening of the Cité Musicaleon the Seguin Island to the west of Paris, designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban and French architect Jean de Gastines. A plastic and visual arts portal "R4" designed by French architect Jean Nouvel. Click here for details (French language only).
• April 1 to May 1, 2017
1st Côte d’Azur Garden Festival.The Alpes-Maritimes department has decided to celebrate this priceless heritage with a brand new event: The Côte d’Azur Garden Festival, which will take place between 1 April and 1 Mai 2017 with the theme “Awaken your senses”. The gardens in the Côte d'Azur region have significantly contributed to the area's reputation as a top tourist destination and today harbour an exceptional wealth of botanical heritage. The Côte d’Azur was the playground of the 19th century aristocracy, and botanical enthusiasts wintering in the area had plenty of time on their hands to acclimate many of the species they brought back from their travels to the Mediterranean environment, thus creating extraordinary gardens. These include botanical gardens, acclimatisation gardens, conservatories of fragrant plants for perfumes and flower gardens. These sites can be found both on the coast and in the mountains, and several have earned the label “Remarkable Gardens” of France. Click here for details
• May 27 to October 8,2017
The 500th Anniversary of the founding of Le Havre by Francois 1er– The great Impressionist artist Claude Monet painted the famous “Impression, Sunrise” in Le Havre, in 1872. To this day, Le Havre offers a captivating mix of industrial and natural grandeur. Reaching the centre of town, though, where estuary and Channel meet, there’s a remarkable feeling of space and light in this port city almost completely rebuilt after the terrible destruction wrought through World War II. Just a handful of historic buildings made of fine stone survived the appalling devastation. A modern architect with a big vision was put in charge of the post-war reconstruction. Auguste Perret was one of the world’s pioneers in employing concrete. Not only was concrete readily available, Perret reckoned he could achieve many new effects with it, and Le Havre is a result of it. The whole design, though altered many times, turned out to be bold and grand. Perret’s modern transformation of Le Havre helped the place become the first modern town in France recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
During the entire summer season, the whole of the city and its port will come alive with art installations, street parades, concerts and exhibitions. The festivities will begin on 27 May with an impressive opening ceremony orchestrated by the Art Point M Collective, the team behind the popular N.A.M.E electronic music festival that takes place every year in Lille. The event will be a spectacular celebration of all things cultural, with festivities extending all the way from the upper town in the hills to the beach. The highlight of the summer will be the return from 7 to 9 July of the Royal De Luxe Company’s impressive giant mechanical marionettes for a unique show which will take place throughout the entire city.
From 9 September to 8 October 2017, Monet's masterpiece returns to Le Havre from its home at the Marmottan Museum in Paris.
Claude Monet's “Impression, Sunrise”, which gave its name to the Impressionist movement, returns to the city where it was originally painted in 1872. During a one-month exhibition at the MuMa (Modern Art Museum), visitors will be able to view the painting alongside a selection of works by Eugène Boudin, William Turner or Raoul Dufy.
On 8 October, the closing ceremony will be a huge public get-together and visual spectacle, starting with an impressive firework display at sunrise. An interactive digital installation will also be unveiled as a new landmark for the city and will act as a permanent legacy of the anniversary celebrations. Click here for details.
Summer 2017
• June 24th, 2017
2017 marks the ongoing centennial anniversary of WWI and is the anniversary year of the entry of the United States into the conflict. The Franco-American Museum at the Chateau de Blerancourt in Picardy, France will reopen June 24, 2017 after a significant expansion and re-organization of its large collection. Franco-American Museum - Click here for details.
Fall 2017
• Opening of a Yves Saint Laurent museum at 5 Avenue Marceau in the 16th arrondissement, in the historical headquarters of the couture house. Click here for details.
• Opening of Lafayette Anticipation, contemporary art foundation designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas at 9 Rue du Plâtre in the Marais. 2,500 m² of exhibition space in a historic building dated 1891 with an impressive glass tower. Click here for details.
RECENTLY OPENED
• June 2016
Opening of La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux. Situated in Bordeaux, La Cité du Vin is a unique cultural facility where wine comes to life through an immersive, sensorial approach, all set within an evocative architectural design. La Cité du Vin gives a different view of wine, across the world, across the ages, across all cultures and all civilisations. Click here for details.
• July 2016
The opening of the Cité internationale de la Tapisserie in Aubusson – a cultural center created in response to UNESCO incorporating the craftsmanship of tapestry into its list of intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009. The task of the Cité Internationale de la Tapisserie is to preserve, increase and highlight the great craftsmanship of tapestry in Aubusson. Click here for details.
2017 marks only the beginning of developments and news from France. On the 2018 horizon lies the opening of the much anticipated Cité de la Gastronomie in Lyon. Further ahead the iconic Ryder Cup will take place in France in 2018 at Le Golf National near Versailles, marking the second time that the tournament will be held in continental Europe since its inception in 1927.
Whether you find yourself in the French West Indies or mainland France, there is a place for all to enjoy the Art de Vivre of French culture.
Come join us and visit France in 2017 for an enriching journey into the past, present and future.
Visit francepresskit.com and us.media.france.fr for details and updates.