International Exhibition of Paris of 1937
The 1937 Paris International Exposition, officially the International Exhibition of Arts and Techniques Applied to Modern Life (French: Exposition internationale des arts et des techniques appliqués à la vie moderne), was regulated by the International Bureau of Exhibitions and took place from May 25 to November 25, 1937, in Paris, the capital of France. The Trocadero palace was demolished to build the Chaillot palace, which housed part of the exhibition. Pablo Picasso's Guernica was exhibited here for the first time.
Preparing for the exhibition
The decision to organize an international exhibition in Paris was made on July 6, 1934. On July 19 Edmond Labbé was appointed General Commissioner of the French Government; Labbé chose, among others, collaborators such as Henri Giraud, together they presented to the French parliament a consistent project for the organization of the exhibition. The key objective of the exhibition was to demonstrate that art and technology are not opposite concepts; The exhibition was also held in a context of economic crisis and international tension, so the exhibition also set itself the goal of promoting world peace.
The project, due to the economic crisis, was originally presented with an austere budget; In addition, the exhibition had to occupy exclusively the surroundings of the Eiffel Tower, up to the Trocadero and the Champ de Mars. Most of the buildings were to be temporary, with the exception of the Chaillot Palace, which would replace the old Trocadero Palace.
In addition, the Eiffel Tower would be modernized and would have new lighting.
Among other reforms one can also mention the demolition of the Polish embassy (for which Poland was compensated), building in its place the Palace of Tokyo (Palais de Tokyo). The museums, moreover, were reorganized (in terms of exhibitions) and the Hotel de Sagan was bought by the government.
In 1936, some social movements such as strikes or even sabotage delayed the work on the exhibition (there were delays in the construction of all the pavilions, except for the one in the Soviet Union).
The inauguration was scheduled for May 1, workers' day and an important date for the current party in power, the French Popular Front. But the delays suffered led to serious doubts that it would be possible to open the exhibition on that date, for this reason, the employees were made to work evenings, Sundays and even holidays.
The exhibition was finally inaugurated on May 25, less than a month late; On the same day, gold medals were awarded to the two most spectacular pavilions: the Nazi Germany pavilion and the Soviet Union pavilion.
The exhibition
The exhibition was dominated by the harsh international tension prevailing at the time, and the strong ideological opposition of the time, symbolized in the Nazi Germany and Soviet Union pavilions.
The new Palais de Chaillot was maintained after the exhibition. The famous "Worker and Kolkhoz" statue by Vera Mukhina, which adorned the Soviet pavilion, is now in the All-Russian Exhibition Center in Moscow.
The exhibition was also a great display of new scientific knowledge, as evidenced by the Palais de la Découverte (Palace of Discovery).
Data
- Area: 105 hectares.
- Participating countries: 44.
- Visitors: 31.040.955.
- Cost: 1,443,288,391 French francs.