Opened, Tuesday, May 11, by the
President Nicolas Sarkozy, the Centre Pompidou-Metz knows a
famous start : between 5000 and 8000 daily visitors since the opening,
Wednesday, May 12, with more than four hours wiating lines
during the weekend. "Most people choose to stay and take their troubles
patiently," says Emmanuel Martinez, chairman of the museum. And Sunday,
May 16, the exhibition "Masterpieces?" had already been seen by 46,000
visitors. Many foreigners have rushed to Metz, and hotels are full.
"Many Germans and Dutch, a lot of English but also Chinese, Japanese
and even Australian, identify Jean-Damien Fox and Jean-Marie VISIL,
manager of the restaurant La Voile Blanche, installed in Forum . They
too have been caught short with 4500 bookings in a few days. A library
of the Centre Pompidou-Metz, the initial print run of 500 copies of the
catalog of the exhibition has been exhausted the first day. "We gave
400 in sales, but I'm afraid to be out again," is concerned, Laurent Le
Bon. The Director of the Centre do not sulk his pleasure: "we will show
attendance figures exceeding those of the best exhibitions in Paris.
Soulages Beaubourg is 5000 people per day," recalls Will he.
Free access during the inaugural week of the museum has no doubt helped
to attract the crowds. However, the rates will remain very attractive,
with tickets at 7 euros and free for children under 26 years. "If
everyone who promised to return to keep their word, we will not have
too much to worry for the future", plays Philippe Hubert, head of
security. Many visitors and near-Lorraine and Luxembourg have decided
to postpone their visit to enjoy the activities of the weekend, which
attracted tens of thousands of people, Saturday, May 15, during the
Night of Museums - 2 million visitors in France, according to a
statement from the Ministry of Culture. While Aphex Twin,
star of stage electro galvanized the crowd as fireworks, illuminated
umbrellas 3000 celebrated in the square performance of choreographer
Basque Maider López. Sunday, musicians, mimes and
entertainers began to colonize the area around the museum where a giant
banquet was organized. This spectacular launch will he encourage the
mall management to revise its forecast upward attendance? "I had the
figure of 200,000 entries, but I was thinking about 2011. I've always
said that the year of the inauguration would be atypical, because of
media coverage. So I stick to this goal , which is already a very good
figure, if one takes into account the phenomenon of multiplication own
cultural institutions, "says Mr. Le Bon.