and just months before the war in Ukraine, this piece of memory work on Europe and its conflicts became particularly meaningful. Our projects are not limited to Paris but span the entire country: the 18 Arts of Islam. A Past for a Present exhibitions, shown simultaneously in 18 cities and co-created with the Musée du Louvre, demonstrated the role of art in bringing people together and making connections, in contrast with the inward-looking notions of identity of which we are constantly reminded by current events. Pursuing this extensive partnership policy, in 2021 the Rmn Grand Palais co-produced exhibitions with the Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille, for the Experience Goya project, the Centre de la Vieille Charité in Marseille for Surrealism in American Art, and the Château de Fontainebleau for Napoleon I at Fontainebleau. Three more exhibitions took place in summer and autumn: Homo Faber, at the Musée national de Préhistoire des Eyzies-de-Tayac, Glass Enamelling during the Renaissance, at the Musée national de la Renaissance, Château d Ecouen, and Speed, at the Château de Compiègne, Musée National de la Voiture.
Sharing the history of art in all its forms Even during a period when cultural venues were closed, transmission intensified through the wide variety of Histoires d Art programmes. Educational packages were disseminated throughout the country and used by 80,000 children during school or extracurricular activities. 18,000 listeners of all ages took part in the Histoires d art classes that were held online, at the Musée de l Armée, the Théâtre du Rond- Point, the Maison de la Radio et de la Musique, in certain Micro-Folies and in schools. New themes were added to the programme, such as a series dedicated entirely to the topic of women in the history of art, from the Middle Ages to the modern day. 2021 also marked the conclusion of
the Histoires d art à Gonesse programme, which reached 400 of the town s residents, most of them young people aged under 30, outside of the school environment. To celebrate the end of a five-year twinning programme, a permanent arts route has been designed by artists and residents.
Commercially, the public health context also led the Rmn Grand Palais to reinvent itself, focusing mainly on a French customer base, by increasing its offer for young people, its bookselling, chalcography and casting while developing collaborations with designers and artists such as Jean-Michel Othoniel. The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon and the Château de Fontainebleau also entrusted the Rmn Grand Palais with running the concessions at their establishments for an additional three years. In a show of successful adaptation to the challenges of the public health crisis, the e-commerce site recorded a new increase in its revenue for 2021 after two already highly dynamic years. The year in publications was also punctuated by several success stories: almost 20,500 copies of the catalogue of the Vivian Maier exhibition at the Musée du Luxembourg were sold, while bookshops sold 14,300 copies of La Fontaine s Fables illustrated by Rebecca Dautremer, the result of a commission from Ministry of National Education, Youth and Sport. The Art Studios continued their policy of partnerships with contemporary creators, both in Casting and Chalcography, with such figures as JR, Annette Messager and Rosanna Lefeuvre.
The closure of the Grand Palais and the acceleration of restoration work on the monument The restoration work was able to continue in earnest following the building s closure in February 2021. This year was given over to major structural work and cleaning that helped to open
14
