Sponsored by the French Ministry of Culture and with the collaboration of more than 3,000 artists, the Cow Parade (or "Vach'Art", as it's called in French) will stop in Paris from 10 April to 16 June, with expositions planned for the city's most lively and prestigious sites. A final, collective display is planned for La Défense Square from 19 to 26 June.
The exhibition will culminate in an auction sale meant to raise money for the Africa Alive Foundation, which fights malnutrition and AIDS in Africa.
The Cow Parade has supported numerous charitable organizations since the first exhibition in Zurich in 1998, thanks to the support of the more than 1,500 sponsors and the sixteen cities that have already welcomed the event.
Vache à fleur
In addition, the exhibition will help promote contemporary art by displaying original works throughout the heart of the city. Vach'Art 2006 represents yet another opportunity for Paris to demonstrate its modernity and talent for innovative, artistic expression.
The theme of the exhibition is of course the cow, chosen as a symbol of universality and kindness, and various artistic representations of the animal will appear throughout the city during the event.
Renowned contemporary artists will be able to display their creations in an unusual setting open to everyone: the streets of Paris.
Participating artists have in fact been busy in their studios since February, working on their life-size, fiberglass cows mounted on pedestals.
Vache blanche
The kindly cows will take over the city according to a predefined thematic layout:
- contemporary art (Trocadéro, Champs-Elysées, Les Halles, Le Marais, etc.)
- design (The Latin Quarter, Île de la Cité and Île Saint-Louis, Montparnasse, La Bastille, etc.)
- the artists (Orsay, Louvre, Opéra)
This accessible, open-air exhibition will bring together both artists and the general public, as well as enlisting the collaboration of art schools who will present their student projects.
The one-of-a-kind cows will finally be auctioned off 30 June at Artcurial.
