The new Nîmes triennial took place from April 5 to June 23.
“La Contemporaine de Nîmes has found its audience. It has allowed Nîmes to position itself on an innovative cultural axis”rejoices Jean-Paul Fournier, a few days after the closing of this first triennial.
The event brought together 176,826 visitors. In detail, 143,140 people discovered the exhibition projects The Flower and the Force (47,140 in museums and 96,000 in public spaces). The houses welcomed 18,782 people, the associated programs 4,717 and 10,187 participated in the highlights.
More than 6,000 people from Nîmes took part in a guided tour (schools, associations, general public, social centers). Upstream, Contemporaine had involved 600 people, mainly students from Nîmes schools, in the development of the projects.
Opening weekend box office hit
The opening weekend of April 5, 6 and 7 was a real success with 21,226 visitors (14,226 in the exhibitions, 4,500 for the party and 2,500 for the fugue). Some museums in Nîmes had never seen so many people.
The intermediate weekend (May 24, 25 and 26), for which communication was not great, only brought together 2,046 visitors.
On the other hand, the Contemporaine found its audience again during the closing weekend with 11,180 visitors for the evening event and 2,500 participants at the Pissevin fair, a great success.
“A major place”
“Due to the quality of the works offered and the very positive feedback […]Nîmes regains a major place on the national scene of artistic creation in all its forms”says Sophie Roulle, Deputy Minister for Culture. The very broad coverage of the event by the national press helps to reposition the city on the contemporary scene. “Todaycontinues the elected official, and undoubtedly even more so given the tense national political context, culture is essential because it brings together and unites audiences.”
Several exhibitions continue throughout the summer, at Carré d’art, at the Musée du Vieux Nîmes, at the Musée des Beaux-arts or at the Jesuit chapel, as well as in associated places such as the CACN or Negpos.
