JUNE 13, 2020 (moc.media)

“The work of art must be harmoniously integrated into the [Tuileries] garden and take into account [any] site constraints”

The Tuileries Gardens near the Louvre. Source: Kris Atomic/The Art Newspaper.

The French government announced plans to create a memorial to victims of slavery in the Tuileries Gardens close to the Louvre Museum. The Paris-based black advocacy group, the Representative council of France’s Black Associations (CRAN) welcomed the move. Louis-Georges Tin, the association’s honourary president, said that “the artist chosen must be of African descent”, the Art Newspaper reports.

In 2016, then president François Hollande said a slavery memorial and museum would be created in Paris. The construction of the museum is not discussed now, but plans for the monument are going to be implemented.

On April 27, 2018, the 170th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in French colonies, president Emmanuel Macron said in a statement: “The [proposed] foundation will put slavery back into the long history of France, from the first French colonial empire to the present day.” In May last year, Macron confirmed that a slavery memorial would be built in Paris.

The Louvre officials will be responsible for the project management. A steering committee will comprise figures “in the field of slavery commemoration… and also in contemporary art and the conservation of historical monuments”, as well as City of Paris representatives. The work will be owned by the state and will be added to the national collection.

CRAN has prepared a report calling to create a new museum. The report will be submitted to Paris’s new mayor after the coming election (the second round is scheduled for June 28).

France’s Ministry of Culture says that “the work of art must be harmoniously integrated into the garden and take into account [any] site constraints”. The winning artist will be announced early 2021 with the work scheduled for completion by the end of next year. The application deadline is September 1.