This op-ed originally appeared in French in Le Figaro.
The world’s eyes will turn to Paris this month as the City of Light is illuminated by the Olympic flame. At the same time, the country is preparing to form its next government with a parliament split across the political spectrum. As audiences experience the spirit of global unity that is strengthened through the Olympics, France also has a chance to show how the spirit of civic unity can be strengthened through the arts, inspiring people of all parties and ideologies.
The arts and culture play an important role in the health of democracies. They build community by bringing people together and exposing us to new points of view, which is especially vital in an age of hyper-partisanship. They also play an underappreciated role as an economic engine. They create jobs at every income level and attract visitors who support local businesses and generate revenue that governments can use to provide the services and build the infrastructure that residents need.
Paris has seen those economic benefits firsthand through its extraordinary collection of galleries and museums, as well as its embrace of bold public art. Over 16 days in 2021, Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped drew visitors from across France and far beyond, providing a big boost to the local economy at a time when Paris – like cities everywhere – was grappling with the pandemic. While the installation was open, tourism to Paris increased more than 20 percent, bringing more customers to shops, hotels, cafes, and other small businesses.
No two people had the same reaction to the project, and the conversation and debate it sparked was part of what made it so powerful and successful. The same was true during COP 21 in Paris in 2015, when Olafur Eliason’s Ice Watch brought 12 massive blocks of arctic ice to the Place du Pantheon, highlighting the urgent need for action on climate change. Now Paris is building on its commitment to sustainability, using green construction and transport to cut the Olympics’ carbon footprint in half, compared to previous Summer Games.
At Bloomberg Philanthropies, we have always been committed to investing in the places where our company’s employees live and work. Paris’s role as a financial center and sustainability leader is growing – as is our support for its cultural communities and events, from the recent Nuit Blanche to the ongoing Les Jeux Poétiques de Paris. Making the arts accessible to the greatest number of people is a major focus for us, so investing in French institutions recognized over the world is a natural fit.
This is the very purpose of our collaboration with French museums to extend the number of our Bloomberg Connects mobile app. Over the past month, we have been expanding to include new guides to nearly 40 French cultural institutions. Paris Musées and Centre des Monuments Nationaux are among those joining the more than 450 institutions from 24 countries already accessible on the app. Through digital technology, we are offering free, multilingual access to the wealth of artistic and cultural treasures that Paris has to offer, with no time or physical limits.
The app’s users, now totaling over three million, can explore cultural institutions on six continents on their phones – and receive the same kind of special curated tours that dignitaries get when they visit. It’s a free, direct way to learn from the experts who lead museums, galleries, parks, and historical sites, while also hearing behind-the-scenes stories told by artists as well.
By seizing the Kairos – “the propitious moment” – as Ancient Greeks said, cities can bring the arts to life in new ways that benefit all their residents – and this summer, Paris is setting the pace and carrying the torch.