MONUMENTA is a new contemporary art event providing leading international artists with the opportunity to engage with the great steel-and-glass nave of Paris's Grand Palais, through the creation of a series of totally new installations. Reflecting the extraordinary dynamism of the international contemporary art scene, MONUMENTA is a unique opportunity to discover the work of some of today's greatest living artists. This remarkable annual event will showcase, in alternate years, the work of French artists (or artists living in France) and artists from around the world.

Anselm Kiefer, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres and Christian Boltanski at the inaugural press conference for the MONUMENTA series.

The first three installations in the MONUMENTA series will be created by Anselm Kiefer, Richard Serra and Christian Boltanski. Renowned international artist Anselm Kiefer,  who has made his home in France for the past 10 years, will present the first work in the series – a spectacular, entirely new installation – from May 30, 2007. MONUMENTA 2008 will feature the great American sculptor Richard Serra, followed by one of France's leading artists, Christian Boltanski, in 2009. 

Recently renovated, the Grand Palais is a unique space, in Paris and the world. Created for the 1900 Exposition Universelle, the Grand Palais is an architectural treasure on a vast, monumental scale. Its immense glass roof soars to a height of 60 meters beneath the central dome, and the nave extends for over 200 meters at ground level, covering a surface of some 13,500 square meters in a single span. This historic venue is the setting for an array of leading cultural events. Now, MONUMENTA will provide individual artists with an unparalleled opportunity to express their creativity and artistic powers on a gigantic scale. A new way to discover the work of a renowned international artist, a new way to experience the Grand Palais.