Museum
Olivier Bienaimé & Hervé Bienaimé / France / 2025 / 91 min
A French school class from the provinces goes on a trip to the Centre Pompidou in Paris in a film that explores what art and culture mean – and to whom.
‘Museum’ takes place over a single day. A group of young students go on a school trip with their teacher to the Centre Pompidou. For some of them, it is their first visit to a museum, while for others it is their first trip to Paris. What does an abstract painting by Mark Rothko mean when you have never experienced anything like it before? And does a urinal really become a work of art just by being exhibited? Seriously?
With simple means and understated humour, ‘Museum’ follows the young people on their trip, while exploring the visible and invisible barriers that shape our relationship with art and culture. How does one’s background influence one’s perception of art – and one’s access to it? Does culture really belong to everyone? In a society where classical education is still closely linked to social background, ‘Museum’ is a refreshing and unbiased take on questions that otherwise quickly become as abstract as the artworks themselves.