You might be wondering what the link is between a marathon (42.195km first run by Pheidippides) and the the Post Office, and the answer would be that both race(d) to deliver a message!

This new exhibition at the Post Office Museum (near our hotels) is part of the ‘Olympiade culturelle‘ – cultural events with links to the Paris Olympic Games – and explores the theme of speed and messages through sports-related exploits and, er, contemporary art.

First of all, a little history…

Officially introduced to the modern Olympic Games in 1896, the marathon was initially limited to 40km, the distance thought to have been run by Pheidippides to Athens in order to announce that the war of Marathon had been won (hence the name).

However, for the 1908 London Marathon the royal family requested that the event pass by Windsor Castle, for which an additional 2.195 km were added. This new distance became the norm accepted by the International Federation in 1921 and has not changed since!

This rather original new exhibition at the post Office Museum takes a look at speeding messengers both in sports and in delivering mail, with 160 works on show – film clips, posters, newspapers, comic books, sporting objects, texts – and includes contributions from around thirty contemporary artists to show the many facets of getting information to its destination as fast as possible.

As a cultural event aimed at an international audience (in Paris for the Olympic Games), guided visits of the exhibition are available not only in French, but also in English and (unusually) Chinese. They’re even included in the price of admission, which is great! 👏🏻👏🏻

Related to the exhibition, you might be interested in:

— a conference / round table with the curators on 5th June,

— two workshops for kids (Empreinte de champion and Graines de philosophes), and

— a storytime visit entitled On your marks, get set, search! during which you will help the narrator ro find six assistants for the relay event, with a sporting challenge at each stage. 🏃‍♀️🏃🏾‍♂️

You can book your spot at the above events here.

A catalogue of the exhibition ⤴️ (112 pages, 22€) is also available at the museum shop, and you can check out a few sample pages below. Click the ‘fullscreen’ button at the top right of the image below for a clearer view.

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The exhibition Marathon, la course du messager is at the Post Office Museum (here) until 15th September 2024

Open every day except Tuesdays from 11am-6pm (last entrance at 5.15pm)

Admission: 12€ / 8€

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Une publication partagée par Musée de La Poste (@museeposte)