Picasso, Miró and Léger at Aros
Je ne parle pas français, mais Lille is not petit
Ambiorn Happy, Kulturnyt.net
9. may 2025.
I know 200 words in French, and that’s why I love traveling in France and only speaking French. You should consider it too. Head to Aros and check out this year’s French exhibition with Picasso, Miró, and Léger. "Modernism’s Many Voices" welcomes you until the end of September. The artworks were trucked in from LaM in Lille to Aarhus - so that you can enjoy a five-star art exhibition right here in the city while the French museum gets a facelift. Visit Aros, and you’ll be ready to hop on a Billund-Paris flight for a thousand kroner each way, then zip up to Lille on the TGV train at 320 km/h. Can you tell I’ve been paid to tell you this? With food.
Fotografen.dk
So, in a way, you could say I’m better at French than understanding Danish. Kulturnyt sneaks into the Sunset Lounge at Aros, floor 9. - Are we misunderstanding the invitation? we whisper to each other. Charlotte Lesénécal, press and PR for France’s Tourism Board, shakes hands and flashes a wide smile. I snatch the bubbles so I’m ready for our Afterwork talk tied to the Picasso, Miró, and Léger exhibition here in Aarhus. "Afterwork" is going to be a big deal after we’ve checked out the paintings on floor 5. I’m sure of it. But then I spot François Navarro, a solid guy with intellectual glasses, a jovial vibe, and a sticker on his jacket. "Hello Lille", it says. - I’m the general manager of the organization in Lille that pulls in tourists, events, and companies, he says. Serious but friendly. His English is as beautiful as only a Frenchman can make it. - I know Lille means "petite" in Danish, he continues, - but we actually have 1.2 million residents. 700 headquarters for international companies. Plus, we’re leaders in digital, health and nutrition, and we’ve got retail firms with 74,000 employees. Have you visited Lille? - Not yet, I reply. So, the room is full of lovely people from Lille’s tourism office, nice folks from the French tourism board in Copenhagen, Danish travel journalists, influencers - plus Kulturnyt. - Uh, we cover culture and performing arts in Aarhus. Then the machine starts. PowerPoint, and charming Frenchmen speaking English. I’m sitting there thinking about performing arts, recalling all the marketing events I’ve experienced in my life. Slick images. Bullet points. Numbers. For example, Lille is France’s third-largest city. Bet you didn’t know that. The crowd takes in a colorful show on a really big, very fancy screen. I’m warming up to the calm François, who passes the ball to Maxime Vermeulen, director of global investments in Lille. Steady eyes behind glasses, business-minded, casual suit, gray temples, but not chubby. If only I’d brought more than a 100 kroner. Super credible guy—talk to him if you want to start a new business in France this summer. Bum. Then there’s culture. Sélic Lenne is the boss of telling European journalists about Lille’s cultural scene. And it’s not small potatoes, let me tell you. For example, in September, Europe’s largest flea market with 2 million visitors. World-class architecture with Flemish inspiration from Belgium and Holland. BAL - beer festival in Lille, out in November. Christmas market. But there’s also Justine Minet, PR and press officer at LaM - who lent Picasso, Miró, and Léger to Aarhus. She’s a hit with the travel journalists because she’s sweet and young. Smart, eloquent, and—new twist—Justine speaks English with just a flirty hint of a French accent. - Can I take a picture of you? shouts one of them, a 79-year-old man. - With my smartphone! Justine smiles, a bit unsure but kind. He’s allowed. He snaps so many photos of the press officer that in 1985, it would’ve been three rolls of Kodachrome. Those were pricey back then. You know how sometimes our subconscious tricks us? I thought we were here to experience art at Aros and talk about the works. "Afterwork". But then there’s a buffet and a crash course for tourists and businesspeople heading to Lille. - There’s some good food and wine, says Marie Stefani from the French tourism board. I love a buffet! A French buffet. The bread. The cheeses. Olives. Cured meats. French wine. It doesn’t get better. I’m heading back to France soon! Maybe Lille. Because it’s freaking huge, not petit. Bon appétit! Read more about Picasso, Miró, and Léger at Aros. Or check out Lille’s tourism office, "Hello Lille".Atout France Offers Cheese, Bread, and Wine
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