Running the Musée d'Orsay was his life's dream. After 11 years at the head of Rouen's museums, Sylvain Amic, 57, who worked as an adviser to former culture minister Rima Abdul Malak, succeeded Christophe Leribault at the helm of the Paris museum in April. Less than a year after his appointment, the president of the Orsay and Orangerie museums, a specialist in the 19th century, tells Le Monde about his plan, which is focused on territorial networks and immersive exhibits, as well as the major worksite initiated by his predecessor.
We had anticipated a greater drop, but we're above our forecasts thanks to an intense autumn program, with "Caillebotte," which is racking up 6,500 admissions a day, and the Heinz Berggruen collection at the Orangerie, which is welcoming 4,400 daily visitors. Yes, this summer, the Olympics have reduced the number of admissions compared with 2023, by 26% at Orsay and 22% at the Orangerie. But 2023, I remind you, was a year of record attendance due, in particular, to the Van Gogh exhibition. During the Olympics, we had more first-time visitors, younger people with flip-flops on their feet and flags in their hands. We were able to see how sport can be an interesting vehicle, for example when we organized the great collective dance moments. This gave us the image of a museum as a place of possibilities.
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