Four large-scale reproductions will be exhibited as part of the France Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, to be held from 13 April to 13 October 2025 on the theme of “Hymn to Love”. They are being created especially for the event by the GrandPalaisRmn cast workshop. It will use a selection of moulds from its collections to produce duplicates of some of the most famous sculptures in the world conserved in French museums.
These reproductions are the result of a partnership between COFREX and GrandPalaisRmn, and will be exhibited just outside of the France Pavilion, located in the “Empowering Lives” zone, close to the Japan Pavilion and the main entrance to the World Expo.
The reproductions on display benefit from the solid expertise and the international acclaim of the GrandPalaisRmn cast workshop, a Living Heritage Company (Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant - EPV) which has been awarded Excellence of French Know-How certification. The GrandPalaisRmn workshops remain faithful to the original works when creating their reproductions of art exhibits, using original processes that combine tradition and innovation. To create an exceptional duplicate of the complex composition, "Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss", a mould was made using 3D printing to produce a life-sized recreation of the original.
This project is a fantastic opportunity for the GrandPalaisRmn cast workshop, a beacon of French excellence. For several centuries, this workshop has been passionately and faithfully reproducing works of art for various purposes, including education, mediation, protection of originals, decoration and contemporary-art installations. As a result, it also serves to shine the spotlight on France’s heritage and know-how at major international events. These reproductions are set to tour around Asia following the World Expo.
CMA CGM, a global leader in transport, logistics and media, has partnered with GrandPalaisRmn under a sponsorship agreement and will transport the works from France to Osaka free of charge. CMA CGM continues to support institutions and key players from the world of culture, and contributes its expertise to promoting French heritage on the international stage.
About the GrandPalaisRmn art, cast and Chalcographie workshops :
These two workshops have been awarded Excellence of French Know-How and Living Heritage Company (EVP) certification.
The cast workshop :
For the last two centuries, the GrandPalaisRmn cast workshop has been bringing the greatest masterpieces of sculpture back to life by creating high-quality reproductions using unique processes, which combine traditional standards with the excellence of modern techniques. The cast collection kept in the workshop retraces the entire history of sculpture. It exhibits prehistoric art, and oriental, Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Etruscan, and Gallo-Roman antiquities, as well as masterpieces from the French, Italian, and Northern European schools from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century.
The chalcographie workshop :
Founded in 1797, the Chalcographie du Louvre is responsible for conserving and printing from a collection of several thousand engraved copperplates. Formerly housed in the Palais du Louvre, the presses have since been moved to the Ateliers d'Art GrandPalaisRmn in Saint-Denis. Specialised craftspeople create prints from original plates from the 16th to the 21st century. As the guardians of a traditional craft, they preserve, maintain, and pass on skills that are no longer practiced anywhere else. As such, the GrandPalaisRmn intaglio workshop is recognized as the conservatory of this artistic profession.