A Parliament with art
Near the entrance, the flags of the 27 member countries wave and welcome the MEPs with their assistants, officials, staff, journalists and visitors (on peak days up to 10,000 people). To maintain this extraordinary institution, some 500 million EU citizens spend just under 3.50 euros each year… More or less the price of 1 kg of bread!
If you are an European citizen and have the opportunity, visiting it is a truly significant culturally enriching experience that strengthens your European identity. And if you also want a fridge magnet... there are two souvenir shops!
For art enthusiasts, the European Parliament also boasts an art collection that includes over 500 paintings, sculptures and other contemporary artworks from EU countries, plus works from non-EU countries.
Let's take some information from the flyer that welcomes and guides people through this exhibition. The sitting president, Simone Veil started the collection in 1980, aiming to promote art and diversity. The initial idea was to bring together works from the ten countries represented in the European Parliament, giving precedence to young artists who had already achieved a certain level of recognition and prestige.
Since then, the European Parliament has expanded the collection through purchases and donations, turning it into one of the largest and most interesting contemporary art collections of last thirty years.
The collection focuses on contemporary art, not as an artistic style but as a reference to art produced in our time. By definition, contemporary art evolves and challenges the definition of high and low art. Contemporary art has recently added ironic, experimental, commercial, and conceptual elements. The use of new materials, media, activities, concepts and kitsch elements has also broadened the definition of the movement.
The collection is on show in the public and common spaces of the European Parliament buildings in Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg and in European Parliament Liaison Offices across Europe. The art collection reflects some of the European Parliament’s core values, which comprise promoting culture, intercultural dialogue, and respect for cultural diversity. The collection's assortment of styles, historical eras, artists and countries highlights the European Union's cultural richness and diversity. What emerges is a variety that profoundly reflects the European Union's motto 'United in diversity', understood with reference to both people and art
The exhibition in the Hemicycle presents works from the collection from current and former European Union countries. The works of art are organised thematically to make them easier to enjoy and exemplify the European Union's cultural richness.
