Grevin Museum: where wax statues come to life

Marilyn Monroe posing for Andy Warhol

At the end of the 19th Century, Arthur Meyer, a journalist and founder of the famous daily newspaper “Le Gaulois”, conceived the idea of showing his contemporaries 3D representations of the front-page celebrities in his newspaper. At a time when the press did not use photography he thought of creating a place where the public could at least “put a face” on the people in the news.

To achieve this original project, he called on Alfred Grévin, who was a cartoonist, sculptor, and designer of theatrical costumes, and who became so involved that in the end, the project bore his name. When the Grévin opened its doors for the first time to the public on 5th June 1882, it was an immediate success!

Sylvester Stallone in one of his memorable action roles.

In 1883, Gabriel Thomas, a distinguished investor who had previously backed the companies running the Eiffel Tower and the Théâtre des Champs Elysées, gave the Grévin a business-like economic structure to enable rapid expansion. He also enriched the site with new decors which are today its very precious heritage, such as the Grévin Theatre, which is listed on the inventory of Historical Monuments, or the Hall of Mirrors that had been part of the 1900 “Exposition Universelle”.

Steve Jobs stands in front of an interactive screen testing people’s minds.

Thus coming to life the Grevin Museum which opened in Paris in 1882 exhibiting over 2000 wax museums, and it kept setting new records till 2012 which marked the Grévin’s 130-year anniversary and it began to expand globally in 2013 with its new locations in Montreal, Prague, and finally Seoul as its first endeavor in Asia.

The Grevin Museum in Seoul hosts about 80 wax museums in a number of themed rooms, with a large and diverse collection of stars, from Hallyu stars and Hollywood icons to memorable historical figures.

Spielberg with one of his most famous movie ‘characters’, E.T

In the Hallyu stars venue, you can see Lee Min Ho, Hyun Bin or Kim Soo Hyun, just to name a few of the Korean stars situated in a drama-like settings. While the international venue lets you relive The Godfather’s bar scene with Al Pacino and Rober De Niro, ride a bike with Steven Spielberg, or gamble with Brad Pitt and George Clooney watching, even get a lesson or two from Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein and maybe learn a few moves from Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, and finally get a picture with America’s sweetheart, Audrey Hepburn.

Korea’s historical figures made an appearance.

While the historical venue would let you meet powerful and influential people like Ghandi, Mandela, or Pope Francis. And it also lets you feel influential getting into the setting of a first-class plane with political figures, posing with Queen Elizabeth II, or indulging into a conversation with UN secretary Ban Ki Moon and Chinese president Xi Jinping, or even the US president Barack Obama.

The Korean kings and influential icons weren’t forgotten, as we get to meet King Sejong, Admiral Yi Sun-sin, I Yi, Hwang Yi, and Saimdang Shin in their traditional clothes.

Ronaldo, one of the well-loved footballers, was present as well.

Sports was no stranger to the wax audience, as we get to pose with king of basketball Michael Jordan, golf legend Tiger Woods, football stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, skater Yuna Kim, Ji Sung Park, and others who have left their mark in sports world.

Ghandi, the father of peace.

Art poses a huge influence on the establishment of Grevin, and we can see some artists in work, like Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso with their paintings, Andy Warhol and Marilyn Monroe, one of Hollywood’s most famous ads partners are there as well, and not to forget Princess Diana, a style icon of her time, and John Lennon, the Beatles heartthrob.

Queen Elizabeth II

And if that wasn’t enough, the hall of fame would definitely relinquish your thirst to pose with superstars, from Korean superstars like Psy and G-Dragon and Rain, to Hollywood stars like Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep and Angelina Jolie, with some music legends like Madonna and Mick Jagger.