Interview with Henri Loyrette, director of the Louvre
MúzeumCafé 5.
The name Louvre alone is worth 160 million euros. That is the sum Abu Dhabi is paying for Paris’s star institution to offer its name and its experts, and to lend some of its pictures to the ‘museum copy’ being built in five years. In addition to the contract, which has shocked many, an increase in the number of visitors by several million, the development of an Islamic art wing and the shooting of The Da Vinci Code in the Louvre are all connected to Henri Loyrette, who was appointed director seven years ago. He has recently been to Hungary as a member of the Bizot group, which brings together the world’s leading museums. “It’s a fact that these trump aces attract people like a magnet. We are privileged not to have to conceal dusty permanent collections by having major exhibitions, while at the same time our future does not depend on the success of temporary shows. Of course, you can still make mistakes easily. The Louvre may be the museum of museums, but if you don’t manage to adapt it to the expectations of our times it becomes uninteresting. Let’s not forget that we’re talking about a several hundred year heritage of the French revolution. That’s why we organise many contemporary programmes and invite writers, artists and musicians. A couple of years ago we introduced the long Friday evening: people under the age of 26 can enter the museum free between 6 and 10 p.m. Thus the museum has also become a meeting place and has integrated itself into the everyday life of the young. Today 40 per cent of our visitors are already from this age group. These days every big museum is trying to do something. The Guggenheim will also be there in Abu Dhabi, the London Tate has branches in Liverpool and St. Ives, the Pompidou Centre in Metz will soon open, the Hermitage has picked out London, Amsterdam and Las Vegas for itself, MOMA in New York is getting ready to go to Warsaw. These projects don’t take away energy but actually multiply it. As for myself, I don’t shy away from finances. We can’t afford to watch from the ivory tower of arts as the world goes by. A museum director is also a manager who supervises administration, raises money and negotiates with sponsors. State support is decreasing each year. Compared to the earlier 70 per cent, only 57 per cent of our budget this year is covered by public money, while 43 per cent comes from sponsorship. The balance will soon be equal. Half of the amount has be to generated by us and half by the state. The construction of the Islamic art wing is partly due to VIP support. Prince Al-Walid Bin Talal of Saudi Arabia has donated 17 million euros, Sheikh Sabah Al-Sabah of Kuwait has contributed 5 million. But big French companies also give us money for which in exchange their employees receive free entry with a special card. Yet, I don’t believe in completely free entry. This kind of illusive democratisation of the arts doesn’t bring in new audiences, at best visitors come several times. A well-thought-out system of discounts, for the young and unemployed for example, is far more effective.”