The strike at the Musée d’Orsay disrupted the opening of an exhibition on prostitution

The Orsay Museum was not able to open the long-awaited exhibition “Shine and Poverty: Images of Prostitutes 1850-1910” last Tuesday (September 22) due to a staff strike.

Henri Gervex - Rolla (1878)

The museum’s union voted to strike in the morning of the same day at a general meeting in protest against making the Musee d’Orsay public seven days a week starting in November. Museum officials will discuss the situation with the Ministry of Culture.

Last week, French President Francois Hollande expressed his desire for the country’s most visited museums to work seven days a week, with one day reserved for students. Museum staff Orsé condemned this decision, since Monday was reserved for special groups of visitors (including schoolchildren).

The Orsay Museum trade union meeting was attended by representatives of other major museums in Paris: the Palace of Versailles, the Louvre, the Grand Palais and the Picasso Museum. The French newspaper Libération reports that a decision to continue the strike will be made at the next meeting.

Supplement: On September 24, a decision was made to end the strike. The question of expanding the Museum’s work schedule has been postponed until winter, when additional employees will be hired by the institution.

Elena Tanakova © Gallerix.ru