Grévin or the Art of the Real - Grévin opens doors to the public on Friday, April 19, 2013 at Montreal Eaton Centre

MONTREAL, April 17, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - After nearly two years of letting their imaginations run wild, creating lifelike sculptures, applying makeup, building sets and meeting celebrities from a variety of different fields the Grévin Paris and Grévin Montréal artists and craftspeople have finally put the finishing touches on the latest tourist attraction in Quebec. Located on the 5th floor of the Montreal Eaton Centre, Grévin Montréal will open its doors to the public on Friday, April 19, 2013.

GRÉVIN Montréal

A world leader in leisure and entertainment, Compagnie des Alpes (CDA) manages the Grévin brand. Grévin Montréal is the brand's first international venture outside of France. Montreal was selected as the ideal location to bring together and showcase the French and Quebec savoir faire, knowledge and expertise powerful enough to attract close to 300,000 visitors in the museum's first year of operations.

Covering over 2000 square metres (20,000 square feet), Grévin Montréal is home to more than 120 past and present celebrities displayed in truly amazing sets designed by the France-Quebec team of Dick Walsh and Julien Bertevas. The one-of-a-kind ambiance is sure to provide visitors with interactive and sensory thrills they won't soon forget. Just imagine meeting all the stars, from Diane Dufresne, Julie Payette and Donald Sutherland to Luc Plamondon, Jacques Cartier and Albert Einstein…an incredible voyage through time and space!

CDA president Dominique Marcel will officially open the museum on Wednesday, April 17, 2013. Bernard Pivot, president of the Académie Grévin Paris, Académie members Henry-Jean Servat, Laurent Boyer and Lionel Chouchan, Grévin president Béatrice de Reyniès and Grévin Montréal CEO Philippe Bertout will join in the festivities. More than 20 celebrities will also be on hand, including Véronic Dicaire, Julie Snyder, Marie Saint-Pierre, Robert Charlebois and Ginette Reno to do double-takes on "themselves." A splendid time is guaranteed for all!

About Grévin…

Back in 1882, when television was still just one of Jules Verne's futuristic ideas and photography was rarely used even in print media, journalist Arthur Meyer decided to bring the people making headlines in current events and in his newspaper, Le gaulois, to life by creating 3D figures of them. He enlisted the help of Alfred Grévin, a well-known caricaturist and sculptor, to oversee the project's artistic design and the decision was made to name the museum after Grévin. The collaboration was an instant success and the rest, as they say, is history. Over 130 years later, the Grévin destination is still a Paris sensation, attracting more than 800,000 visitors a year.

Grévin: the Art of the Real

Grévin's main area of expertise is the creation of extremely lifelike wax figures, requiring the amazing talents of dozens of artists, sculptors, moulders, costume designers, make-up artists, wig makers and hairdressers. Each Grévin celebrity is meticulously created in the Paris workshops, requiring months of painstakingly detailed work. By creating sculptures that resemble their subjects in every respect and displaying them in unique settings, Grévin gives visitors the opportunity to rub elbows with some of the greatest names in history.

• Compagnie des Alpes is a major player in the European leisure industry. The company's goal is to offer unique and creative experiences that all generations, lifestyles and cultures can enjoy. CDA achieves this objective by capitalising on brand awareness that is customized for each territory. CDA operates 25 sites in Europe (France, The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany): 11 major ski resorts in the Alps (including Tignes, Val d'Isère, Les Arcs, La Plagne, Les Menuires, Les 2Alpes and Méribel) and 14 theme parks (including Parc Astérix, Grévin, Walibi and Futuroscope). It also has major interests in four ski resorts and seven theme parks in France, Switzerland, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom. At the close of its fiscal year on September 30, 2012, CDA had attracted some 23 million visitors and reported consolidated sales of €678 million, with a net profit of €28 million for the Group. compagniesdesalpes.com

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The Grévin Montréal team sincerely thanks its partners Les Champagnes Deutz, Nespresso Canada, La Vitrine, Air Canada and Maille for their contributions in organizing the museum's grand opening. Grévin Montréal is proud to be associated with Groupe Europea and its Café Grévin operations. Until may 19th, our airline partner Air Canada is giving visitors the chance to win two tickets to Paris in Premium Economy.

SOURCE: Musée Grévin

Press relations
In Montreal: the office of Francine Chaloult 514-487-6547 / [email protected]
Honorine Youmbissi, Grévin Montréal 514-919-3318 / [email protected]
Grévin Paris media relations: Véronique Berecz / [email protected]