Paris, France — The athletes are the stars of the Olympic Games but they compete for what are perhaps the most coveted medals in the world: the Olympic gold, silver and bronze. What better place to hold an exhibition devoted to the history of this objet than the French Mint (La Monnaie), located in Paris on the banks of the Seine and which minted the medals of the very first modern Olympic Games held in Athens in 1896 as well as those for the Games of 1900, 1924 and 1968, all held in France. While the French high jewellery house of Chaumet designed the riveting medals for the Paris Games, the Paris mint has struck once again, manufacturing the 5,084 medals of the 2024 Paris Games which will be awarded to the athletes.

In Antiquity, the winners weren’t given medals, but the very first modern games saw silver medals to those who came in first and bronze to those who came in second. La Monnaie de Paris, the Paris Mint, overlooks the Seine, the daring sight of the stunning opening ceremony for the Summer Games of 2024 and during which the medals and the Mint made an appearance, is hosting an exhibition devoted to the story of the Olympic medal, a major player in the games. Entitled Of Gold, Of Silver, Of Bronze, it brings together medals, old and new, as well as documents and objects tracing the history of the modern medals. The some 150 objects, archives and metal decorations on display document the history of the medal and emanate from the Paris Mint’s remarkable collection and benefit from loans from the Olympic Museum in Lausanne and France’s sport museum in Nice. The exhibition is among the exuberant cultural events surrounding the games that has received the Cultural Olympiade label.

« The Paris mint has the immense privilege of making the medals that will be given to the athletes. Who, better than we, can re-trace the story of these awards, without a doubt the most sought after in the world of sport. Be they in gold, silver or bronze, the Olympic medals are a unique symbol representing the surpassing of one’s self. This exhibition is the unique opportunity to enter into the universe of this object which has become a symbol of ultimate recognition, » said Marc Schwartz the CEO of the Paris Mint.

That very first medal made for the Athens Games in 1896, which also figures in the show, was created by the French sculptor and the official medallist of the French government Jules-Clément Chaplain and it was struck, like the medals for the 2024 Paris Games, at the very same Paris Mint on the Left Bank of the Seine. Other historic medals on display include the medals also coined at the mint for the Paris Games of 1924. These include the five medals won by runner wonder Paavo Nurmi, nicknamed the Flying Finn. He won five of his gold medals (out of a career Olympic total of nine golds and three silvers) in the 1924 Paris Games. Those medals are returning to Paris for the first time in a century and are on display at the exhibition. The medals for the 1924 Paris Olympic Games were designed by the artist and engraver André Rivaud.

France was also the first country to organize and host the first winter games, in Chamonix in 1924 and once again the French Mint in Paris had the metal to make the medals. These were designed by Raoul Bénard, a sculptor who was also a student of Jules-Clément Chaplain who made the very first modern Olympic medal. The French graphic artist and artist Roger Excoffon, designed the medals for the 1968 winter games in Grenoble and once again the Paris Mint struck the coins. And it was for the 1992 winter games in Albertville, France that a new player came onto the medal making scene, the French house of Lalique famous for its creations in glass and crystal. Crystal is inserted into the medal which is then set in gold, silver or bronze. These medals were conceived by Marie-Claude Lalique the granddaughter of René Lalique, the founder of the house, and were fashioned in the house’s workshops in Wingen-sur-Moden in Alsace in eastern France. The crystal evokes the snow and ice of winter. The Paris Mint did strike the medals for the Paralympic Games in 1992 held in Tignes-Albertville conceived by the Belgian artist Jean-Michel Folon. Each medal was also engraved in brail.

The medals for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games have been designed by the high jewlery house of Chaumet and in addition to the traditional metals used in the medals, a piece of the original iron from the Eiffel Tower has been incorporated into the center of every metal, enabling the medal winners to take home with them a piece of Parisian heritage as well. The medals for the 2024 Paris Games were manufactured by the Paris Mint. And in addition to the medals, the exhibition tells the fascinating story of the medals themselves, when the podiums are introduced, when the ribbons were introduced to replace the chains of metal laurel, when the medals were placed around the neck (that was back in 1960 in Rome) instead of being proffered in a box. The exhibition also offers a glimpse into the tools and methods used in the medal-making process.

The French Mint, known as La Monnaie in French, is located on the banks of the Seine in Paris and was officially founded in 864 with the Edict of Pistres in which Charles the Bald, the King of West Francia, decreed the creation of a coining workshop in Paris attached to the crown. The Mint, the Monnaie de Paris, is regarded as France’s longest standing institution and potentially the oldest enterprise in the world. Its workshops, permanent exhibitions and premises can be visited and it also hosts temporary exhibitions. Medals and coins can be purchased in the boutique, including those commemorating the Paris Games. The Olympic Medal show is on until November 3rd. 11 Quai de Conti, 75006 Paris, France. Tel: +33 (0)40 46 57 57. https://www.monnaiedeparis.fr/
©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette