European Night of Museums 2026 at the Musée Départemental Arles Antique

📍 Musée Départemental Arles Antique, Presqu'île du Cirque Romain, Arles

▪️ iDzia installation : the light, the video

An Arlesian Night at the “Blue Museum”

On the occasion of the 22nd European Night of Museums, an annual event organized by the French Ministry of Culture, the Musée Départemental Arles Antique opened its doors free of charge for an evening visit. The public was able to discover the exhibition Le Passage de Vénus (The Passage of Venus), attend a performance by the Arteteca vocal collective, and explore various installations, including playful installations, projections and other activities.

The Night of Museums : a European cultural event

The 2026 edition of the European Night of Museums took place on Saturday, May 23 in France and across Europe. Since 2005, this event has offered visitors the opportunity to discover museum collections from a different perspective. Furthermore, since 2013, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of National Education have implemented a program called La classe, l’œuvre!, which enables students to engage with shared heritage and, for one evening, become cultural mediators. This initiative helps make culture more accessible and renews ways of transmitting heritage.

The Passage of Venus in the spotlight

The Musée Départemental Arles Antique, also known as the “Blue Museum,” participated in this night by highlighting the exhibition The Passage of Venus. Open to the public from April 24 to October 31, 2026, it is co-produced with the Louvre Museum. The exhibition features the famous Venus of Arles, an ancient marble statue discovered in 1651 in Arles and later housed in the Paris museum, which has exceptionally returned to its city of origin.

The exhibition, labeled “of national interest” traces the history of the goddess Aphrodite, from her mythical birth to contemporary debates on beauty and the condition of women. It brings together around thirty major ancient works, placed in dialogue with modern and contemporary creations. Thus, ancient Aphrodites, paintings by Gustave Moreau, photographs by Man Ray, and reinterpretations by Andy Warhol form a collection that explores the myth of Venus across time, its transformations, powers, and enduring presence.

Light and projections implemented by iDzia

Specializing in audiovisual management for museums, our company installed screens designed to broadcast content related to the European event. In addition, major works such as Vénus aux Chiffons, as well as installations linked to the event, particularly within the framework of La classe, l’œuvre!, were highlighted thanks to our equipment.

Through this targeted illumination of exhibited works, enhancing their presentation in a nocturnal atmosphere, this intervention demonstrates our commitment to promoting heritage and enriching the visitor experience, in line with the spirit of the event and the institution’s objectives.