Minister of Culture (France)
Encyclopedia
The Minister of Culture is, in the Government of France
, the cabinet member
in charge of national museums and monuments; promoting and protecting the arts (visual, plastic, theatrical, musical, dance, architectural, literary, televisual and cinematographic) in France and abroad; and managing the national archives and regional "maisons de culture" (culture centres). The Ministry of Culture is also charged with maintaining the French identity. It is located on Rue Saint-Honoré, one block from both the Louvre
and the Palais Royal
in Paris
.
and Burgundian
courts of the Renaissance
, the notion that the state had a key role to play in the sponsoring of artistic production and that the arts were linked to national prestige was found in France from at least the 16th century on. During the pre-revolutionary period, these ideas are apparent in such things as the creation of the Académie française
, the Académie de peinture et de sculpture
and other state-sponsored institutions of artistic production, and through the cultural policies of Louis XIV
's minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert
.
The modern post of Minister of Culture was created by Charles de Gaulle
in 1959 and the first Minister was the writer André Malraux
. Malraux was responsible for realizing the goals of the "droit à la culture" ("the right to culture") -- an idea which had been incorporated in the French constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(1948) -- by democratizing access to culture, while also achieving the Gaullist
aim of elevating the "grandeur" ("greatness") of post-war France. To this end, he created numerous regional cultural centres throughout France and actively sponsored the arts. Malraux's artistic tastes included the modern arts and the avant-garde, but on the whole he remained conservative.
Under president François Mitterrand
the Minister of Culture was Jack Lang
who showed himself to be far more open to popular cultural production, including jazz
, rock and roll
, rap music, graffiti
art ("tagging"), cartoon
s, comic books, fashion and food. His famous phrase "économie et culture, même combat" ("economy and culture: it's the same fight") is representative of his commitment to cultural democracy and to active national sponsorship and participation in cultural production. In addition to the creation of the Fête de la Musique
and overseeing the French bicentennial (1989), he was in charge of the massive architectural program of the Mitterrand years (the so-called "Grands Travaux" or "Great Works" like the Bibliothèque nationale, the new Louvre
, the Institut du Monde Arabe, the Musée d'Orsay
, the Opéra-Bastille, the "Grande Arche
" of La Défense
(the Parisian business quarter) and the City of Science and Music in La Villette).
The Ministry of Jacques Toubon
was notable for a number of laws (the "Toubon Law
s") enacted for the preservation of the French language
, both in advertisements (all ads must include a French translation of foreign words) and on the radio (40% of songs on French radio stations must be in French), ostensibly in reaction to the presence of English.
The current minister is Frédéric Mitterrand
.
For a complete list see http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/historique/rubriques/liste.htm.
The Ministry also has access to the division :
The Ministry also runs three "delegations" (administrative boards) :
Finally, the Ministry shares in the management of the National Centre of Cinema (Centre national de la cinématographie), a public institution (go to their link here).
The Alliance française
is run by the Minister of Foreign Affairs (France)
.
For more on the organization of the Ministry, see Ministry of Culture.
Government of France
The government of the French Republic is a semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic. The nation declares itself to be an "indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic"...
, the cabinet member
French government ministers
The Cabinet of France is a body of top administration members of the Prime Minister's Cabinet. In French, the word gouvernement generally refers to the "Administration", but in a narrower sense to the Cabinet.The Council is responsible to the French National Assembly...
in charge of national museums and monuments; promoting and protecting the arts (visual, plastic, theatrical, musical, dance, architectural, literary, televisual and cinematographic) in France and abroad; and managing the national archives and regional "maisons de culture" (culture centres). The Ministry of Culture is also charged with maintaining the French identity. It is located on Rue Saint-Honoré, one block from both the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
and the Palais Royal
Palais Royal
The Palais-Royal, originally called the Palais-Cardinal, is a palace and an associated garden located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
History
Deriving from the ItalianItalian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
and Burgundian
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy , was heir to an ancient and prestigious reputation and a large division of the lands of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy and in its own right was one of the geographically larger ducal territories in the emergence of Early Modern Europe from Medieval Europe.Even in that...
courts of the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
, the notion that the state had a key role to play in the sponsoring of artistic production and that the arts were linked to national prestige was found in France from at least the 16th century on. During the pre-revolutionary period, these ideas are apparent in such things as the creation of the Académie française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
, the Académie de peinture et de sculpture
Académie de peinture et de sculpture
The Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture , Paris, was founded in 1648, modelled on Italian examples, such as the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. Paris already had the Académie de Saint-Luc, which was a city artist guild like any other Guild of Saint Luke...
and other state-sponsored institutions of artistic production, and through the cultural policies of Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
's minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Jean-Baptiste Colbert was a French politician who served as the Minister of Finances of France from 1665 to 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His relentless hard work and thrift made him an esteemed minister. He achieved a reputation for his work of improving the state of French manufacturing...
.
The modern post of Minister of Culture was created by Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
in 1959 and the first Minister was the writer André Malraux
André Malraux
André Malraux DSO was a French adventurer, award-winning author, and statesman. Having traveled extensively in Indochina and China, Malraux was noted especially for his novel entitled La Condition Humaine , which won the Prix Goncourt...
. Malraux was responsible for realizing the goals of the "droit à la culture" ("the right to culture") -- an idea which had been incorporated in the French constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
(1948) -- by democratizing access to culture, while also achieving the Gaullist
Gaullism
Gaullism is a French political ideology based on the thought and action of Resistance leader then president Charles de Gaulle.-Foreign policy:...
aim of elevating the "grandeur" ("greatness") of post-war France. To this end, he created numerous regional cultural centres throughout France and actively sponsored the arts. Malraux's artistic tastes included the modern arts and the avant-garde, but on the whole he remained conservative.
Under president François Mitterrand
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
the Minister of Culture was Jack Lang
Jack Lang (French politician)
Jack Mathieu Émile Lang is a French politician. A member of the Socialist Party, he served as France's Minister of Culture from 1981 to 1986 and 1988 to 1992, and as Minister of Education from 1992 to 1993 and 2000 to 2002. He was also the Mayor of Blois from 1989 to 2000...
who showed himself to be far more open to popular cultural production, including jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
, rap music, graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
art ("tagging"), cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
s, comic books, fashion and food. His famous phrase "économie et culture, même combat" ("economy and culture: it's the same fight") is representative of his commitment to cultural democracy and to active national sponsorship and participation in cultural production. In addition to the creation of the Fête de la Musique
Fête de la Musique
The Fête de la Musique, also known as World Music Day, is a music festival taking place on June 21.-History:The idea was first broached in 1976 by American musician Joel Cohen, then employed by the national French radio station France Musique. Cohen proposed an all-night music celebration at the...
and overseeing the French bicentennial (1989), he was in charge of the massive architectural program of the Mitterrand years (the so-called "Grands Travaux" or "Great Works" like the Bibliothèque nationale, the new Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
, the Institut du Monde Arabe, the Musée d'Orsay
Musée d'Orsay
The Musée d'Orsay is a museum in Paris, France, on the left bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, an impressive Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1915, including paintings, sculptures, furniture,...
, the Opéra-Bastille, the "Grande Arche
Grande Arche
La Grande Arche de la Défense is a monument and building in the business district of La Défense and in the commune of Puteaux, to the west of Paris, France...
" of La Défense
La Défense
La Défense is a major business district of the Paris aire urbaine. With a population of 20,000, it is centered in an orbital motorway straddling the Hauts-de-Seine département municipalities of Nanterre, Courbevoie and Puteaux...
(the Parisian business quarter) and the City of Science and Music in La Villette).
The Ministry of Jacques Toubon
Jacques Toubon
Jacques Toubon is a right-wing French politician who held several major national and Parisian offices.-Political career:Governmental functionsMinister of Culture : 1993–1995....
was notable for a number of laws (the "Toubon Law
Toubon Law
The Toubon Law , is a law of the French government mandating the use of the French language in official government publications, in all advertisements, in all workplaces, in commercial contracts, in some other commercial communication contexts, in all government-financed schools, and some other...
s") enacted for the preservation of the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, both in advertisements (all ads must include a French translation of foreign words) and on the radio (40% of songs on French radio stations must be in French), ostensibly in reaction to the presence of English.
The current minister is Frédéric Mitterrand
Frédéric Mitterrand
Frédéric Mitterrand , a Franco-Tunisian citizen, is the French Minister of Culture and Communication. Throughout his career, he has been an actor, screenwriter, television presenter, writer, producer and director.-Biography:...
.
Ministers of Culture
- February 1959 André MalrauxAndré MalrauxAndré Malraux DSO was a French adventurer, award-winning author, and statesman. Having traveled extensively in Indochina and China, Malraux was noted especially for his novel entitled La Condition Humaine , which won the Prix Goncourt...
- June 1969 Edmond MicheletEdmond MicheletEdmond Michelet was a French politician.On 17 June 1940, he distributed tracts calling to continue the war in all Brive-la-Gaillarde's mailboxes...
- October 1970 André BettencourtAndré BettencourtAndré Bettencourt was a French politician. He had been awarded the Croix de Guerre, and is a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor...
- January 1971 Jacques Duhamel
- April 1973 Maurice DruonMaurice DruonMaurice Druon was a French novelist and a member of the Académie française.Born in Paris, France, Druon was the nephew of the writer Joseph Kessel, with whom he translated the Chant des Partisans, a French Resistance anthem of World War II, with music and words originally by Anna Marly.In 1948...
- March 1974 Alain PeyrefitteAlain PeyrefitteAlain Peyrefitte was a French scholar and politician.He was a confidant of Charles De Gaulle and had a long career in public service, serving as a diplomat in Germany and Poland....
- June 1974 Michel Guy
- August 1976 Françoise GiroudFrançoise GiroudFrançoise Giroud, born France Gourdji was a French journalist, screenwriter, writer and politician.-Biography:...
- March 1977 Michel d'OrnanoMichel d'OrnanoMichel d'Ornano was a French politician. A descendant of both Marie Walewska and Philippe Antoine d'Ornano, he began his political career as mayor of Deauville in 1962...
- April 1978 Jean-Philippe LecatJean-Philippe LecatJean-Philippe Lecat was a French politician. He graduated from the École nationale d'administration in 1963....
- March 1981 Michel d'OrnanoMichel d'OrnanoMichel d'Ornano was a French politician. A descendant of both Marie Walewska and Philippe Antoine d'Ornano, he began his political career as mayor of Deauville in 1962...
- May 1981 Jack LangJack Lang (French politician)Jack Mathieu Émile Lang is a French politician. A member of the Socialist Party, he served as France's Minister of Culture from 1981 to 1986 and 1988 to 1992, and as Minister of Education from 1992 to 1993 and 2000 to 2002. He was also the Mayor of Blois from 1989 to 2000...
- March 1986 François LéotardFrançois LéotardFrançois Gerard Marie Léotard is a retired French politician. The late singer and actor Philippe Léotard was his brother....
- May 1988 Jack LangJack Lang (French politician)Jack Mathieu Émile Lang is a French politician. A member of the Socialist Party, he served as France's Minister of Culture from 1981 to 1986 and 1988 to 1992, and as Minister of Education from 1992 to 1993 and 2000 to 2002. He was also the Mayor of Blois from 1989 to 2000...
- June 1988 Jack LangJack Lang (French politician)Jack Mathieu Émile Lang is a French politician. A member of the Socialist Party, he served as France's Minister of Culture from 1981 to 1986 and 1988 to 1992, and as Minister of Education from 1992 to 1993 and 2000 to 2002. He was also the Mayor of Blois from 1989 to 2000...
- May 1991 Jack LangJack Lang (French politician)Jack Mathieu Émile Lang is a French politician. A member of the Socialist Party, he served as France's Minister of Culture from 1981 to 1986 and 1988 to 1992, and as Minister of Education from 1992 to 1993 and 2000 to 2002. He was also the Mayor of Blois from 1989 to 2000...
- April 1992 Jack LangJack Lang (French politician)Jack Mathieu Émile Lang is a French politician. A member of the Socialist Party, he served as France's Minister of Culture from 1981 to 1986 and 1988 to 1992, and as Minister of Education from 1992 to 1993 and 2000 to 2002. He was also the Mayor of Blois from 1989 to 2000...
- March 1993 Jacques ToubonJacques ToubonJacques Toubon is a right-wing French politician who held several major national and Parisian offices.-Political career:Governmental functionsMinister of Culture : 1993–1995....
- May 1995 Philippe Douste-BlazyPhilippe Douste-BlazyPhilippe Douste-Blazy is a French centre-right politician. He served as Minister for Health , Minister of Culture and Foreign Minister in the cabinet of Dominique de Villepin .Douste-Blazy is also a cardiologist and Christian Democrat politician from Lourdes...
- June 1997 Catherine TrautmannCatherine TrautmannCatherine Trautmann is a former Minister of Culture of France and now Member of the European Parliament for the East of France.She was elected as mayor of Strasbourg in 1989, re-elected in 1995, then defeated in 2001....
- March 2000 Catherine TascaCatherine TascaCatherine Tasca is a member of the Senate of France, representing the Yvelines department. She is a member of the Socialist Party; she currently serves as the Senate's vice-president. From 2000 to 2002 she was Minister of Culture in France. She is the daughter of Angelo Tasca a former italian...
- May 2002 Jean-Jacques AillagonJean-Jacques AillagonJean-Jacques Aillagon is a French politician, a close confidant of Jacques Chirac and member of the Union for a Popular Movement political party. From 1972 to 1976 he was a high school teacher in the Corrèze region of France...
- March 2004 Renaud Donnedieu de VabresRenaud Donnedieu de VabresRenaud Donnedieu de Vabres , often known as RDDV, is a French politician, France's Minister of Culture from 2004 to 2007...
- May 2007 Christine AlbanelChristine AlbanelChristine Albanel is a French civil servant. From May 2007 to June 2009 she was France's Minister for Culture and Communication in François Fillon's government.Albanel is agrégé in classical Letters...
- June 2009 Frédéric MitterrandFrédéric MitterrandFrédéric Mitterrand , a Franco-Tunisian citizen, is the French Minister of Culture and Communication. Throughout his career, he has been an actor, screenwriter, television presenter, writer, producer and director.-Biography:...
For a complete list see http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/historique/rubriques/liste.htm.
Names of the Ministry of Culture
Since the French constitution does not identify specific ministers (merely speaking of "the minister in charge of" this or that), each government may label each ministry as they wish, or even have a broader ministry in charge of several governmental sectors. Hence, the ministry has gone through a number of different names:- 1959 Ministère des Affaires culturelles
- 1974 Ministère des Affaires culturelles et de l’Environnement
- 1974 Secrétariat d’État à la Culture
- 1976 Ministère de la Culture et de l’Environnement
- 1978 Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication
- 1981 Ministère de la Culture
- 1986 Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication
- 1988 Ministère de la Culture, de la Communication, des Grands Travaux et du Bicentenaire
- 1991 Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication
- 1992 Ministère de l’Éducation nationale et de la Culture
- 1993 Ministère de la Culture et de la Francophonie
- 1995 Ministère de la Culture
- 1997 Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication
Central administration
The Ministry of Culture is made up of a variety of internal divisions, including:- Direction de l'administration générale (DAG)
- Direction de l'architecture et du patrimoine (DAPA) - in charge of national monuments
- Direction des archives de France (DAF) - in charge of the National Archives
- Direction du livre et de la lecture (DLL) - in charge of French literatureFrench literatureFrench literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than French. Literature written in French language, by citizens...
and the book trade - Direction de la musique, de la danse, du théâtre et des spectacles (DMDTS) - in charge of music, dance and theater
- Direction des Musées de France (DMF) - in charge of the National museums
The Ministry also has access to the division :
- Direction du développement des médias (DDM) in charge of developing and expanding the French media (although French public television is run through the public-service company France TélévisionsFrance TélévisionsFrance Télévisions is the French public national television broadcaster. It is a state-owned company formed from the bringing together of the public television channels France 2 and France 3 , later joined by the legally independent channels France 5 , France Ô , and France 4 France Télévisions ...
).
The Ministry also runs three "delegations" (administrative boards) :
- Délégation aux arts plastiques (DAP) - in charge of the visual and sculptural arts.
- Délégation au développement et aux affaires internationales (DDAI) - in charge of international affairs and French art
- Délégation générale à la langue française et aux langues de France (DGLFLF) - in charge of the French languageFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and languages of France.
Finally, the Ministry shares in the management of the National Centre of Cinema (Centre national de la cinématographie), a public institution (go to their link here).
The Alliance française
Alliance française
The Alliance française , or AF, is an international organisation that aims to promote French language and culture around the world. created in Paris on 21 July 1883, its primary concern is teaching French as a second language and is headquartered in Paris -History:The Alliance was created in Paris...
is run by the Minister of Foreign Affairs (France)
Minister of Foreign Affairs (France)
Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs ), is France's foreign affairs ministry, with the headquarters located on the Quai d'Orsay in Paris close to the National Assembly of France. The Minister of Foreign and European Affairs in the government of France is the cabinet minister responsible for...
.
For more on the organization of the Ministry, see Ministry of Culture.
Other services
On the national level, the Ministry also runs:- Regional Cultural Affairs (Direction régionale des affaires culturelles - DRAC)
- Départemental Architecture and Monuments (Services départementaux de l'architecture et du patrimoine - SDAP)
- Départemental Archives under the direction of the Conseil Général of each département.
- Centre National de la DanseCentre National de la DanseThe Centre national de la danse is an institution sponsored by the French Ministry of Culture. It studies dance in all its aspects, and is located in Pantin, in northeastern Paris. Centre national de la danse is a source of national pride due to its maintenance of French culture...
, institution for the study and preservation of dance http://www.cnd.fr/cnd/missions/missions_en
Cultural activities
The Ministry of Culture is responsible for, or a major sponsor of, a number of annual cultural activities, including:- Fête de la MusiqueFête de la MusiqueThe Fête de la Musique, also known as World Music Day, is a music festival taking place on June 21.-History:The idea was first broached in 1976 by American musician Joel Cohen, then employed by the national French radio station France Musique. Cohen proposed an all-night music celebration at the...
- Avignon theater festivalFestival d'AvignonThe Festival d'Avignon, or Avignon Festival, is an annual arts festival held in the French city of Avignon. Founded in 1947 by Jean Vilar, it is the oldest extant festival in France and one of the world's greatest...
- JocondeJocondeJoconde is the central database, now mostly available online, for objects in the collections of the state museums of France, maintained by the French Ministry of Culture. "La Joconde" is the French name of the Mona Lisa, which like almost all the collections of the Louvre, is included in the...
, a huge online database of objects in French museums. - Base MériméeBase MériméeThe Base Mérimée is the French database of monuments listed as having national significance in history, architecture or art. It was created in 1978, and placed online in 1995, by the French Ministry of Culture, division of architectural heritage. The database is periodically updated...
, a database of listed heritage monuments.
Further reading
- Nancy Marmer, "The New Culture: France '82," Art in America, December 1982, pp. 115–123, 181-189.
External links
- Ministry of Culture
- Culture Portal of the Ministry of Culture (Page index in English, documents in French)
- Culture Portal of the Ministry of Culture
- English pages (Archive)