17th Edition
Unlike the “Fête de la Musique” which was invented in France and that expanded to the rest of Europe, and even to other continents, the Museum Night was born in Berlin (Lange Nacht der Museen) in 1997 and crossed the Rhine in 2005 to delight young and even younger people in France. Within a night, between the sunset and 1 a.m, the public is invited to discover, free of any charge, unexpectedly, festively and playfully the treasures of the French museums, along with museums in about thirty other European countries.
Benefits of museum tours
What do you feel when you go to a museum? Museums enchant, inspire, move, alleviate pain, reduce stress, open minds, and offer unique multisensory experiences. Observing art and going to museums generally seem to give positive emotions and a sense of well-being. Already in the past, some artists such as Henri Matisse or Sam Francis believed that art had therapeutic benefits.
“While museums used to be places of contemplation or knowledge in the eyes of many visitors, they are increasingly fulfilling a social function against isolation and transforming into real living spaces. Yoga classes, meditation workshops, sensory workshops, “museotherapy” or therapy through art… Thus, many initiatives and forms of mediation dedicated to well-being are born from the desire to free art and attract new audiences. For some years now, going to museums with the idea to only relax and meet other people is no longer something surprising.”*
*From the French Department of Culture website ‘Relaxation et Immersion au Musée avec Paris ASMR‘
The “Museotherapy” according to EFBA
If you can’t go to the museum… the museum will come to you! We have selected a few pieces to bring you back to childhood. Let yourself be locked up for a night in the museum and dream of aesthetics.
Podcasts
The secret Life of Art (French | Age: 8 – 9)
5 short fictions in collaboration with the Musée des Beaux-arts in Montréal. This podcast invites children to discover the key works of Canadian art history.
Les Odyssées – The Story of the Mona Lisa’s Theft (French | Age: 7 – 12)
The Story of the Mona Lisa’s Theft – for real – from the history podcast for children Les Odyssées offered by radio France Inter, the equivalent of NPR in France. Listener beware, Les Odyssées are highly addictive, no matter how old you are.
The Imaginary Walks (French | Age: 8 – 12)
13 ten-minute stories offered by the Orsay Museum inspired by some of its paintings. Read by comedians, these stories know how to delicately narrate a part of the creations without ever describing them. They are specifically designed for children, but you can also share this exciting experience with teenagers and adults!
Online Museum Visits
The virtual exhibition of The Versailles Castle in the Comics, | Age: 14+
The virtual exhibition “Le château de Versailles dans la bande dessinée”
The virtual visit fo the Chauvet Cave | Age: 4+
The virtual visit of the Ramses VI’s tomb | Age: 6+
The Egyptian ministry of tourism and monuments offers us the opportunity to do a virtual visit of Ramses VI’s tomb who ruled Ancient Egypt over 3000 years ago.
The History of Humanity from the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum | 14+
In this video, the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum offers us a 42-minute mystic and metaphysical story of the history of humanity through its works.
Find other visits ideas here
20 Free Virtual Museum Visits.
Movies
Wonderstruck (2017)
Night at the Museum (2006)
Belphegor, Phantom of the Louvre (1965)
Books
Merveilles de musée racontées aux enfants (French | Age: 6 – 12)
Merveilles de musée racontées aux enfants (2013) from Elisabeth Dumont-Le Cornec unfolds the mystery of a selection of treasures found in museums all over the world, from the Louvre in Paris to the Archaeological Museum in Cairo, and many more. Works of art, natural relics, ritual creations… they all tell in their own ways a part of the world’s history.
La peur du Louvre (French | Age: 7+)
La peur du Louvre (The Fear of the Louvre) from Claude Delafosse is a comic book in which the hero takes the reader to the Louvre Museum, Paris, to solve the mystery of the thefts occurring in the museum and discover the pharaoh’s secret.
Written by Julia Peillon & Gabrielle Durana. Translated from French By Cassandra Chenut.
EFBA’s Inspiring Resources:
- Our very own Virgule textbooks: Chapter 1 from the Textbook 2 level GF 1: in which we take your children to the Museum Night to do… French exercises.
- Museum tours: EFBA offers museum tours in French for children throughout the year with the “Museum Quest” program. In addition, we are organizing online museum tours with museums beyond the San Francisco Bay Area, particularly in Europe and Canada.
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