At the origin of “Beauty will save the world”, there is an idea from the mayor of Saint-Dizier (Haute-Marne) in 2021. This year, 23 French municipalities will participate in this experience. For a few weeks, their advertising panels will be replaced by large-format reproductions of famous paintings.
Published: November 3, 2024 at 5:30 p.m.
Reading time:
2 min
Qhen the paintings of the greatest painters in the history of Art come to decorate cities… and replace advertising billboards. In April 2021, while French museums were closed to the public due to the health crisis linked to the Covid-19 epidemic, the mayor of Saint-Dizier (Haute-Marne), Quentin Brière, launched the “La Beauté” operation. Will save the world.” For a few weeks, the advertising displays give way to works of art, in order to make them visible to the general public. The objective is then to provide access to culture to as many people as possible, while institutions keep their doors closed.
23 cities in 2024
Since 2021, three editions of “La Beauté Sauvera le Monde” have already been organized in Saint-Dizier with, each year, a theme common to the selected works: “Nature”, in 2022, and “Arts in Art” , in 2023. This year, the initiative is taking a national turn, since 23 cities will participate in the 4e edition, which will take place from November 16 to December 8, 2024.
Among the participating cities this year, we find Bourg-en-Bresse (Ain), Roanne (Loire), Reims (Marne), Saint-Raphaël (Var), Pontoise (Val-d'Oise), and Lannion (Côtes -d’Armor), Châteauroux (Indre) and Agen (Lot-et-Garonne).
According to information from Ouest-France, the works of art are provided by the Grand Palais-Réunion des musées nationaux which transfers the copyright for the sum of 56 euros (for each painting). The community participating in the operation then only has to reserve the advertising spaces and print the works of art to deploy them.
Read also
