Keeping the lights on

Tonight was the third annual "Museum Night" across Europe. Participating museums (from Portugal to the Ukraine) were free and stayed open until the wee hours. It's basically an expansion of the annual "All-Nighter" art festivals usually held in October. However, Museum Night focusses on museums while the All-Nighters generally promote one-off art installations in public places. The event raises a fundamental question, though: why don't museums have more evening hours? We don't mean staying open until 1 AM (the case tonight), but offering day-job folks more opportunities to see an exhibition without fighting the weekend hordes. Not only does nightfall cast a new light (or shadow) on the place, but it also changes people's moods.

Being in Paris, we stepped over to the Rodin Museum. Long lines to get in (since it's a once-a-year affair and a Saturday night), but the place was stunning. The whole building was lit, throwing a glow on the gardens where the sculptor spent his last days. Bill Viola's The Messenger was projected at the back of the garden. The giant, slow-moving image of a man submerged in water, it reflected on the garden's pool and waterlilies. You can't get these experiences at noon!