Posted by Edward Kurstak on
Yellow Vest protests in Paris this weekend prompted the Musée d’Orsay to cancel its scheduled programming—a nighttime viewing for its currently running exhibit “Picasso. Blue and Rose”—and close its doors for the day, ARTnews reports.
Saturday’s protest, the first staged in Paris in 2019, is just one of many in recent months. Yellow Vesters have staged these protests to draw attention to the country’s rising oil prices and, more importantly, vast wealth inequality.
Near the Musée d’Orsay, a barge on the River Seine was set on fire, and protestors clashed with police as tear gas was thrown. Protestors continued their call for France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, to resign.
This does not mark the first time since the Yellow Vest protests initiated that Paris-based arts and cultural institutions have been forced to close their doors over safety concerns. As ARTNews’ Annie Armstrong reports, “In December of last year, the Jeu de Paume, the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais, and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs closed after a protest was held. That same week, more museums—including the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower—announced that they would not be open the day another action was to be held.”
(Image credit: Getty Images)