The Art of Capitalism

The northern French city of Béthune has come up with a great idea for making use of empty bank buildings, which may come in handy during the current financial crisis. It has turned a former Banque de France building (dating from the early 20th century) into a contemporary art space called Lab-Labanque.

The directors of Lab-Labanque have had the bright idea of leaving the building as it was when the bank moved out and inviting artists to create site-specific works for its rooms, including an elegant, spacious appartement de fonction (a common perk for French public officials) upstairs, where the bank’s director and family would have lived.

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