Le Figaro Lyon
The future of the Guimet museum continues to divide the environmentalist majority. The place, opened in 1879 and big brother of the homonymous museum in Paris, has been closed since 2007. In an interview given to Actu Lyon, Nathalie Perrin-Gilbert (Lyon en commun), the deputy for Culture of the city of Lyon in said a little more about this establishment, which has been empty for 17 years: “
We are in the process of finalizing the proposal to host an exhibition over seven months, which we would call the “Sentimental Museum” and which would bring together works from the Center’s collection Pompidou mixed with works from our collections at the Musée des Beaux-Arts and the MAC. The idea would be to open in spring 2025 and continue until the end of the year
.”
A non-concerted screening with the mayor of Lyon which gave rise to
a refocusing on
It is premature to make any announcements until the project to secure and produce the exhibition has been budgeted and approved. It is a responsibility that we must have for the Lyonnais.
»
First divergences in September 2023
Contacted, Grégory Doucet's entourage indicated that "
all hypotheses are on the table
" concerning the future of the museum. “
We work pragmatically with everyone, even the opposition. There, the message was premature and clumsy. When we work collectively on many subjects such as dance workshops, the emergency cultural fund, etc., things go very well
(with Nathalie Perrin-Gilbert, Editor's note)
. But when there are individual wishes, it is more complicated
,” we continue at the Hôtel-de-Ville. Nathalie Perrin-Gilbert could not be reached.
In September 2023, the latter had already made it known that it did not support the hypothesis
of “a sale to the highest bidder
” of the Guimet museum, put on the table - among other proposals - by the environmentalist majority during a work meeting. “
It’s not a whim of an assistant who wants to keep this place because when she was little, she went to see natural history exhibitions there with her grandmother. It is consistent with what has always been my vision of heritage. We cannot sell everything off like what has been done in the past in Lyon
,” she confided to Le
Figaro
.
The grimace soup
More recently, the Deputy for Culture had also repeatedly raised a dissenting voice regarding the spraying of a painting by Monet by environmental activists.
“I dissociate myself from the comments of the co-president of the environmental group
(...
) I have known you to be more firm, dear EELV friends, in condemning urban violence. I do not understand a “double standard”, which would consist of condemning social violence and excusing activists when there is an environmentalist aim
,” she said during the last municipal council of the city of Lyon.
At the time, the “ minimum
” conviction
of Gregory Doucet sparked strong criticism. The mayor of Lyon said
he “regretted the action”
carried out at the Lyon Museum of Fine Arts while believing that
“in the face of the climate emergency, anxiety is legitimate”.
Questioned a few days later on France Inter, he finally explained that he “
disapproved
” of this gesture:
“It is not with this type of action that we are going to lead people towards the ecological transition. Look, you are questioning me on the form and not on the substance. This means that the message failed to be transmitted
.