Events - Marie Curie joins the Grévin Museum and lights up Pink October in aid of the Curie Institute

By Mulder, 26 september 2025

By choosing to welcome Marie Curie among its wax residents, the Grévin Museum is adding to its heritage a universal figure whose aura extends far beyond the scientific world alone. The inauguration, scheduled for October 2, 2025, will be accompanied by a symbolic and committed gesture: the museum's participation in the Pink October movement, the annual awareness and fundraising campaign for the fight against breast cancer. Throughout the month, visitors will be invited to discover the statue of the illustrious scientist, but also to contribute financially to research by directly supporting the Curie Institute, the natural heir to her work.

Born in 1867 in Warsaw, Marie Curie embodies the rise of a woman in a male-dominated world, achieved through extraordinary scientific and personal courage. Her move to Paris in 1891, her brilliant studies at the Sorbonne, and then her fundamental discoveries with her husband Pierre Curie—polonium and radium—revolutionized modern science. The first woman to receive a Nobel Prize in 1903, then the only woman to win two, in physics and chemistry, she blazed a new trail, breaking down barriers and inspiring generations of female researchers. By dedicating a statue to her, the Musée Grévin is not only honoring her genius, but also reaffirming the need to highlight the female figures who have changed the world.

Beyond her role as a pioneer, Marie Curie is closely linked to the history of the Curie Institute, which she helped to found in 1921 by creating the Curie Foundation. This institution, born from the merger of the Radium Institute and the foundation, is now France's leading cancer research center. With nearly 4,000 researchers, doctors, and caregivers spread across Paris, Saint-Cloud, and Orsay, the Institute combines cutting-edge research, hospital care, and teaching, offering unique expertise, even for the rarest cancers. The tribute to Marie Curie at Grévin thus takes on its full meaning in this historical and symbolic link between a major scientific figure and one of the most respected research and treatment centers in the world.

The event will be marked by an official ceremony on Thursday, October 2, at 9 a.m., attended by Daniel Thierry, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Institut Curie, and Professor Alain Puisieux, Chairman of the Institut's Executive Board. Their participation underscores how alive and active Marie Curie's legacy remains, and how the inauguration of this figure at the museum is intended to serve as a bridge between memory and the present. This connection tells a whole story: that of a scientist whose discoveries paved the way for revolutionary treatments and who continues, posthumously, to inspire and mobilize people for a universal cause.

The decision to represent Marie Curie at the Grévin Museum is not insignificant. Each statue is the result of a titanic and meticulous effort: it took six months for the workshops and sculptor Laurent Mallamaci to accurately recreate the researcher's features. This meticulousness reflects the museum's philosophy, where each character, from Clara Luciani to Aya Nakamura, Vianney, DJ Snake, and even ballet dancer Guillaume Diop, is designed as a true work of art. The museum's 3,500 m² exhibition space combines historical settings dating back to its foundation in 1882 with contemporary creations, offering an immersive experience that brings together nearly 250 personalities. Now, among these figures from the worlds of culture, music, and sports, Marie Curie stands out as a scientific and humanistic icon.

This new addition to the Grévin Museum also serves as a reminder that science can and must engage with the general public. By adding Marie Curie to its pantheon of wax figures, the museum is not only celebrating past glory: it is bringing science into a place of entertainment and curiosity, accessible to everyone, from families to tourists from around the world. The statue thus becomes a tool for transmission, a way of awakening collective memory and associating the figure of the researcher with universal values such as perseverance, equality, and the fight against disease.

October at Grévin will thus be marked by the dual dimension of celebration and commitment. Pink October, with its colors and symbols, will not only color the website and museum spaces, but also the experience of visitors, who are invited to join the institution in its efforts. By making a donation to the Curie Institute, everyone can extend Marie Curie's legacy, not only as a frozen wax figure, but as a living force for medical progress. Science, art, and memory come together in an unexpected space, reminding us that the fight against cancer is a common cause that transcends disciplines.

The statue of Marie Curie will therefore not be just another attraction. It is part of a broader approach, where artistic tribute meets solidarity. By bringing together the story of an exceptional woman, the meticulous work of artisan sculptors, and the contemporary mobilization for Pink October, the Grévin Museum has made a powerful statement: showing and demonstrating that science and culture, far from being compartmentalized, nourish and reinforce each other. In this context, Marie Curie seems more relevant than ever, inspiring not only today's researchers and doctors, but also every visitor who meets her wax gaze on Boulevard Montmartre.

Photos : Boris Colletier / Mulderville

(Source: press release)