The Olympics against heritage and museums

The ceremony awarding the 2024 Olympics, with Anne Hidalgo’s incredulous and so moving reaction that it almost makes us want to cry... with rage
Photo taken from a video

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La Tribune de l’Art, which practices journalism committed to heritage, has never hidden its fierce opposition to the organisation of the Olympic Games in Paris (see our articles). It was a losing battle, as the sacred union of politicians made this Pyrrhic victory possible. This one was a foregone conclusion thanks to the absence of other bids, with the exception of Los Angeles, which had announced its preference for 2028. We still remember the grotesque comedy of Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo pretending to discover what everyone knew: that the Games had been awarded to the only remaining candidate.

We have repeatedly denounced the disastrous effects of this decision. There are countless of them outside our scope. Some, concerning Paris’s heritage, have recently come to light. One iniquitous decision has been widely commented on: the removal of some of the "bouquinists" boxes along the Seine for the duration of the Games (and even beyond). We refer to the countless articles published by our colleagues and to the petition which has been hugely successful. In addition, the absurd pretext of security for the opening ceremony (which will take place on the Seine) has been refuted by this article in Le Parisien. It states that certain boxes could be exempted from this injunction because they "are installed in front of rows of trees and removing them would not clear the view for spectators". It is therefore to free up the view of the Seine and the ceremony that these boxes are to be removed, not for security reasons [1].

Another effect has recently become known: the competitive examination for curators has been moved. This normally takes place at the end of August. Next year, it will be held at the beginning of July, before the start of the Olympic Games. What…