Attendance at cinemas and live shows at the start of 2022 shows a drop of around 25% compared to the same period before the health crisis linked to Covid-19, said on Radio J, the Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot, Sunday February 6. This figure varies between 20 and 25% depending on the rooms, compared to the same time in 2019, the ministry said.
Live performance in particular is witnessing a “phenomenon of bipolarization”, according to Mme Bachelor: “There are shows that work”with rooms filled, and others where the public is not at the rendezvous.
Restrictions have started to be lifted, such as the maximum gauge for seated audiences, set at 2,000 people, which ended on February 2 and will be followed by the return of standing concerts on February 16. “There are scheduling issues because standing concerts are usually international tours. Standing concerts are going to have a harder time getting back to normal than classical concerts”underlined the minister.
According to her, the world of culture is “faced with both an extremely harsh pandemic and (…) with the great wind of digital, the appearance of the metaverse ». “It is extremely violent, this double anguish there”she insisted.
“Helping all those in need”
However, the minister said she expected a “beautiful festival season”assuring that she would continue to “Helping all those in need”. In total, nearly 14 billion euros have been mobilized for the world of culture in France since the start of the health crisis, according to new figures from the ministry. Mme Bachelot felt that artists were “tired, anxious, but [qu’ils] does not come out[ai]ent not leached » of the crisis.
In addition, the Minister specified during her interview that the table Rosebushes under the trees by Gustav Klimt had been “recently rendered” to his heirs. On January 25, the National Assembly unanimously adopted a law to return 15 works of art, including a painting by Klimt and one by Marc Chagall, to the heirs of Jewish families robbed by the Nazis.