Young Friends Luxembourg Report: November 22, 2023

International, multilingual, cultural: it's no coincidence that Luxembourg was titled European Capital of Culture in 1995 and 2007, and that it's THE destination for the next WFFM Congress to be held from 2 to 5 May 2024.

It is with this in mind that Naïma Sagna, Young Friends coordinator of the WFFM, has just spent 2 days in the city, scouting the city in anticipation for the upcoming event and meeting some of the extremely dynamic, professional and welcoming team of the Friends of the Museums of Luxembourg. The association, chaired by Florence Reckinger-Taddeï, makes one donation a year to one of the 6 museums, and has more than 1,800 members. Its Young Friends section - spearheaded by childhood friends Mélanie de Jamblinne and Joana Weitzel - is expanding rapidly, with 113 members (including Young Friends and JAM - Jeunes Ados des Musées) to date.
A Special thanks go to Bärbel Aubert. Secretary of the Friends of the Museums of Luxembourg. Bärbel orchestrated the programme of visits spread over two days with real expertise and a great sense of hospitality to ensure that our Young Friends coordinator's stay was as enjoyable and informative as possible.

The meeting really got underway on Wednesday 22/11 at the Villa Vauban, the City of Luxembourg's art museum. This fine arts museum, where a sculpture by Nikki de Saint Phalle greets visitors in the park, presents collections from the XVIIth to the XIXth centuries bequeathed by the industrialist Jean-Pierre Pescatore.

Then it was on to the Lëtzebuerg City Museum, where Bärbel and Naïma were welcomed by Boris Fuge, head of communications. Inaugurated in 1996, this Lëtzebuerg City Museum has preserved the ancient structures of walls dating back to the Middle Ages, which can be discovered little by little thanks to a huge transparent hydraulic lift. The permanent collections are complemented by two temporary exhibitions a year. A quick diversion to the Mansfeld who? exhibition provided an opportunity to get up close to the Portrait of Charles de Mansfeld - son of Pierre-Ernst de Mansfeld, and Governor of the Province of Luxembourg (XVIth to XVIIth centuries) under Spanish Dominion - donated this year by the Friends of the Museum. It was also an opportunity to learn a little about Luxembourg's past. Historically a fortress town, it made its mark during the Industrial Revolutions in the porcelain, glove-making, beer brewing, steelworks and cigarette-making industries.

Accompanied by Joana Weitzel, Young Friends delegate for the Friends of the Museums of Luxembourg, our Young Friends coordinator headed for the Kirchberg district, where she was welcomed to the MUDAM by Carine Lilliu, Head of Patronage and Partnerships. If the architecture of the Musée d'Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean seems immediately familiar, it's because its architect is none other than Ieoh Ming Pei, who is responsible for the famous Pyramid of the Louvre in Paris. After a quick tour of the temporary exhibition 'After laughter comes tears' (on show until 7/01/2024), they were able to discover some of the permanent collections. The MUDAM takes the original approach of presenting its 700 works to the public in the form of temporary exhibitions organised in turn by different curators (currently ‘Deep Deep down’ curated by Shirina Shahbazi and Tirdad Zolghadr).

Literally a stone's throw from MUDAM, there was a change of scenery at the Draï Eechelen Museum on the historic site of Fort Thüngen. Welcomed by director François Reinert, Young Friends delegates Joana and Naïma enjoyed a guided tour retracing the history of Luxembourg and this exceptional site, which includes an underground gallery of ten bunkers, including a workshop for children, and a collection of objects linked to the fortress, the city and the country. The museum also features a multimedia area with period maps available in high definition and a 140-seats auditorium.

The evening was then marked by a very special event. If Mélanie de Jamblinne is the Young Friends delegate, she is also in charge of VIP relations and the programme for Luxembourg Art Week, which ended just a few days ago. Mélanie took care to invite our Young Friends coordinator Naïma to accompany her and her director Caroline von Reden to the professional evening of the De Mains de Maîtres (The Fine Contemporary Craft Biennale). The event was held at 19 avenue de la Liberté, known in Luxembourg as '19 Liberté', at the former headquarters of ARBED (now merged with ArcelorMittal), becoming  the home of  Spuerkeess bank (Banque et caisse d'épargne de l'État) in 2016, following major renovation work.

The De Mains de Maîtres Biennale was created on the initiative of Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess of Luxembourg and showcases a selection of works in a dozen museums, cultural centres and galleries. Traditionally, only one country is represented among the more than 70 craftsmen and women from Luxembourg: this year, the spotlight is on Portugal, given its historical roots and the strong presence of its community in Luxembourg. Promoting Portuguese craftsmanship and strengthening the friendship between Luxembourg and Portugal: these are just two of the ambitions of the Biennale in 2023. The speeches were punctuated by contributions from Françoise Thoma (President and Chief Executive Officer of the Spuerkeess), the Hereditary Grand Duchess (patron of the Friends of the Luxembourg Museums), Xavier Bettel (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs) and Jean-Marc Dimanche (General Commissioner of the Bienniale), among others.

So many interesting meetings and museums explored on this very first day!