Lens _ Musée du Louvre Lens © Sanaa - Imrey Culbert - Mosbach Paysagiste - Studio Gardère - Frédéric Iovino Time spent with nan and gramps doesn’t always have to be about eating sweets and being spoilt. It can also be educational without losing any of the fun.
Start off by getting them to admire the magnificent Galerie du temps: 3,000 m2 and 5,000 years of art history all in one space.
Northern France _ Lens _ Louvre Lens Museum © Sanaa - Imrey Culbert - Mosbach Paysagiste - Studio Gardère – Photo © Frédéric Iovino
Northern France _ Lens _ Louvre Lens Museum © Sanaa - Imrey Culbert - Mosbach Paysagiste - Studio Gardère – Photo © Frédéric Iovino 6
Northern France _ Lens _ Louvre Lens Museum © Sanaa architectes - Catherine Mosbach paysagiste - Frédéric IovinoNorthern France _ Lens _ Louvre Lens Museum © Sanaa - Imrey Culbert - Mosbach Paysagiste - Studio Gardère – Photo © Frédéric IovinoNorthern France _ Lens _ Louvre Lens Museum © Sanaa - Imrey Culbert - Mosbach Paysagiste - Studio Gardère – Photo © Frédéric Iovino 6Northern France _ Lens _ Louvre Lens Museum © Sanaa architectes - Catherine Mosbach paysagiste - Frédéric Iovino
Northern France _ Lens _ Louvre Lens Museum © Sanaa - Imrey Culbert - Mosbach Paysagiste - Studio Gardère – Photo © Frédéric Iovino 6No need to see everything nor follow a set route: just choose one or two paintings and sculptures and get the critters talking with all manner of questions. “What do you see and feel?”, “What do you think of the people’s clothes and the materials?”. Put the focus on them: this will make them like they are playing an active part in their learning and they’ll be proud of their ability to analyse and the admiration you show them.
Also use anecdotes and other tricks to make the history lesson more light-hearted, when studying naked models or death in the form of sarcophagi, for example. Be prepared for a surprise: cause you’ll quickly learn that your dearest whippersnappers already love art! We are all born with a natural interest in shapes, volumes, colours and facial expressions… And ultimately, is art actually anything other than that?
Northern France _ Lens _ Louvre Lens Museum © Sanaa - Imrey Culbert - Mosbach Paysagiste - Studio Gardère – Photo © Frédéric Iovino 
Northern France _ Lens _ Louvre Lens Museum © Philippe ChancelDID YOU KNOW?
There are other rooms in the museum to explore, such as the storeroom and the restoration workshop, usually reserved for professionals, and learn about the hidden life behind the pieces, from arriving from the Paris Louvre to being put on display. You can also have a bite to eat and get an activity booklet for the Galerie du temps.
Ines Millet
Flâner dans les rues de Lens autour de l’art déco Lens, une ville où l’art déco est très bien représenté, de la gare au centre – ville, prenez le temps de regarder autour de vous. Profitez-en pour aller à l’Office du Tourisme un bâtiment 100% Art Déco, un petit bijou au cœur du poumon de la ville, la nouvelle vitrine de la culture !
