Record numbers visit Grimaldi Forum Colours ! exhibition
© GRIMALDI FORUM MONACO - Éric Zaragoza - Exposition « Couleurs ! Chefs-d’œuvre du Centre Pompidou » - Tableaux - Salle Noire - 163
The summer cultural event attracted 76,500 visitors in less than two months and joined an elite circle of Monaco’s most popular exhibitions.
The exhibition Colours ! Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou has just wrapped up an exceptional summer at the Grimaldi Forum. From 8 July to 31 August, more than 75,000 people passed through the doors of the Monegasque cultural centre to explore its artistic offering. The event’s success propelled it into the top three most-popular of all time at the Grimaldi Forum. Only the exhibitions on Claude Monet and Grace Kelly have previously reached such high levels of attendance. “This is a great success, both in terms of attendance and awareness,” says Sylvie Biancheri, Executive Director of the Grimaldi Forum.
The concept imagined by Didier Ottinger, deputy director of the National Museum of Modern Art, broke traditional conventions. More than a hundred works from the twentieth century were displayed by colour in a huge colour wheel. Picasso, Matisse, Kandinsky, Basquiat, Dalí and Modigliani rubbed shoulders in a revolutionary exhibition design.
40% under 25
The statistics are remarkable: almost 40% of visitors were under 25, a rare feat for a classic art exhibition. Young people, who don’t usually visit museums, turned out in force this summer. The family atmosphere was also a feature of this year’s event. “The exhibition created connections and dialogue, and was visited by groups of people, families, couples and friends. And it attracted many young people, it is very encouraging for the future,” said Sylvie Biancheri. Social networks bustled with thousands of posts and shares.
The exhibition combined contemporary art and design with pieces by Ron Arad, Jean Prouvé, Ettore Sottsass and Philippe Starck. Seven monochromatic spaces offered a unique multi-sensory experience, enhanced by sound creations and scented atmospheres designed by the House of Fragonard.
Summer 2026 at the Grimaldi Forum will bring “Monaco et l’Automobile, de 1893 à nos jours / Monaco and the Automobile, from 1893 to the present day.” In 2027, a Magritte retrospective is scheduled. The two exhibitions are already shaping up to be major events in the Monegasque cultural scene.