daniel buuren monumenta

A unique concept of universal appeal
MONUMENTA is an ambitious artistic encounter unmatched anywhere in the world, organized by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication. Each year MONUMENTA invites an internationally renowned contemporary artist to appropriate the 13,500 m² of the Grand Palais Nave with an artwork specially created for the event.

Contemporary art accessible to all
A new kind of artistic performance, MONUMENTA is open to all, a way of discovering a unique event in which great French and foreign artists succeed each other each year. After the success of the first three MONUMENTA events entrusted to German painter Anselm Kiefer in 2007, to American sculptor Richard Serra in 2008, to French artist Christian Boltanski in 2010, each drawing close to 150,000 visitors in five weeks, then the British Indian-born artist Anish Kapoor whose work in 2011attracted over 270,000 visitors in six and half weeks, it is Daniel Buren- one of the most highly recognized and honoured artists, by both his peers and the public - who will take up the challenge in May and June 2012.

The Grand Palais, a prestigious setting dedicated to a unique event
The 13,500-square-metre Nave of the Grand Palais, with its stunning 45-metre glass vault, hosts new works created specifically for the event. In the heart of Paris, the most visited city in the world, adjacent to the Champs-Elysées, the Grand Palais is one of the French capital’s finest architectural gems.