French national institute of cultural heritage, called Institut national du patrimoine (Inp), is the only academy in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

in charge of the training of both

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

s and

conservators In certain areas of England, Conservators are statutory bodies which manage areas of countryside for the use of the public. Establishment, Role and Powers Conservators are bodies corporate generally established, and granted their powers, by a ...

. It belongs to

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visua ...

and is organized in 2 departments. Institut national du patrimoine is located in 2 historical sites : galerie Colbert, in the heart of Institut national d'histoire de l'art (INHA) for the department of curators and administrative headquarters, and

Aubervilliers Aubervilliers () is a commune in the Seine-Saint-Denis department, Île-de-France region, northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Albertivillariens'' or ''Albertivillariennes''. Geography Localisati ...

, for the department of conservators, re-using a former matchstick factory dating from the 19th century and totally renovated for the purposes of the initial and continuing training programmes.

History

Institut national du patrimoine (Inp) is one of the most recent French leading schools (" grandes écoles") the name of which was given in 2001. The aim of this institution was to gather two previous public institutions : Institut français de restauration des oeuvres d'art (IFROA) established in 1977 and École nationale du patrimoine (ENP) created in 1990. Institut français de restauration des oeuvres d'art was used to train conservators and was attached to École nationale du patrimoine in 1996. The establishment of École nationale du patrimoine was linked to the creation of a new profile of French civil servants : the heritage

s, whose missions started from state level and developed to the City of Paris and local government level, thanks to an agreement with Centre national de la fonction publique territoriale (CNFPT). From the beginning, the ambition of the institution has been to ensure the excellence of professionals and to create bridges between two domains Both departments have their own entrance examination, specialties and calendar for the different steps.

Teaching

Department of curators

The mission of the department is to recruit candidates through competitive entrance examinations and provide initial training to heritage curators for State civil service, local government civil service authorities and City of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. The department is an application school (" école d'application") for the laureates, who generally devoted previous studies to academic research before entering the academy (university,

École du Louvre The École du Louvre is an institution of higher education and grande école located in the Aile de Flore of the Louvre Palace in Paris, France. It is dedicated to the study of archaeology, art history, anthropology and epigraphy. Admission is ...

École nationale des chartes The École Nationale des Chartes (, literally National School of Charters) is a French ''grande école'' and a constituent college of Université PSL, specialising in the historical sciences. It was founded in 1821, and was located initially at ...

École normale supérieure École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, S ...

, ...). The status of the students is civil servant as soon as they begin the training. The training lasts 18 months and aims to prepare high rank civil servants and heads of departments, institutions or other, in charge of administration, management, scientific expertise, transmission and enhancement of heritage. The skills which are developed in the Institut national du patrimoine vary : administrative, financial, legal, technical, code of ethics, human resources... The different specialties proposed after successful entry are :

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsca ...

archive An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or ...

s, historical monuments and inventory, museology, scientific, technical and natural heritage. The training is divided in theoretical courses (9 months) and internships in France and abroad (9 months). Internships are generally organized thanks to agreements with institutions of

or other Ministries. These training experiences are also organized abroad, within different frameworks. Each year, the department welcomes about 60 students. Conservation du patrimoine spécialité patrimoine scientifique, technique et naturel.jpg Conservation du patrimoine spécialité musées.jpg

Department of conservators

The

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

of the department is to select candidates through a competitive entrance examination and train

capable and authorized to work on public collections. The profile of the laureates varies :

art historians The history of art focuses on objects made by humans for any number of spiritual, narrative, philosophical, symbolic, conceptual, documentary, decorative, and even functional and other purposes, but with a primary emphasis on its aesthetic visu ...

, scientists, craftsmen, artistic careers... The training lasts 5 years and conservators are rarely civil servants in the French context. It is divided into theoretical and practical courses and internships in France and abroad (9 months). During the 5 years, some internships concern individual students only and some others participate in field-schools or other team experiences on sites. These opportunities as well as conservation on real artworks from public collections are permitted thanks to agreements with institutions of

, such as museums, or other Ministries. Internships are also organized abroad (6 months), within different frameworks. Each year the department welcomes about 100 students. On June 22, 2018, the Institut national du patrimoine received the European Union's Cultural Heritage Award /

Europa Nostra Europa Nostra (Italian for "Our Europe") is a pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage, representing citizens' organisations that work on safeguarding Europe's cultural and natural heritage. It is the voice of this movement to relevant inte ...

rewarding the teaching method of the field-schools organized by the department of the conservators. Chantier des collections des élèves de l'Inp.jpg Restauration du patrimoine spécialité arts graphiques et livres.jpg Restauration du patrimoine spécialité mobilier.jpg Restauration du patrimoine spécialité photographie.jpg Restauration du patrimoine spécialité arts textiles.jpg

Entrance examinations

Entrance examination to the department of curators

Competitive recruitment examinations for heritage curators are organised by the Inp acting for the State, the City of Paris and, on the basis of an agreement with the CNFPT (State civil service) and local government authorities. All candidates must be of French nationality or nationals of a Member State of the European Union or of a State party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area. External competitive examinations are open to candidates holding a bachelor's degree (or equivalent). Internal competitive examinations are open to State civil servants, military personnel and judges, civil servants in local government authorities and public institutions. They can be in active employment, on secondment, on parental leave or on military service or in office within an international intergovernmental organisation . About 30 candidates are admitted each year.

Entrance examination to the department of conservators

The competitive examination is open to both French and Foreign candidates, holder of a Baccalaureate certificate or equivalent and under 30 years of age by 31 December of the year preceding admission year. Special exceptions may be granted, according to age and degree, based upon experience already acquired or other specific situations. Seven specialties are proposed for the admissions test: earthenware and

glassware upTypical drinkware The list of glassware includes drinking vessels (drinkware) and tableware used to set a table for eating a meal, general glass items such as vases, and glasses used in the catering industry. It does not include laboratory glas ...

(metal, ceramic, glass, enamel), graphic arts and books,

Textile arts Textile arts are arts and crafts that use plant, animal, or synthetic fibers to construct practical or decorative objects. Textiles have been a fundamental part of human life since the beginning of civilization. The methods and materials u ...

, Furniture,

Painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

(easel, mural),

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employe ...

Sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

. About 20 candidates are admitted each year.

Degrees

As the Institut national du patrimoine is placed under the authority of

rather than Ministry of Education, it delivers its own degrees which give the title of "heritage curator" ("conservateur du patrimoine") for the department of curators and "heritage conservator" ("restaurateur du patrimoine") for the department of conservators. The title is accompanied by the name of the specialty in which the person graduated. The level of the 5-year training degree of conservators has been recognized officially as being equivalent to a Master II.

Continuing education

The Inp also proposes a wide range of continuing education programmes for both French and foreign heritage professionals: in Paris (department of curators), in Aubervilliers (department of conservators-restorers), in

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

(Institut Méditerranéen des Métiers du Patrimoine I2MP through a collaboration with the

MuCEM The Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations (Mucem; French: ''Musée des Civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée'') is a national museum located in Marseille, France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), i ...

), or elsewhere in accordance with local authorities. Distance learning courses are also proposed.

Research

The

s have to produce a research project before their graduation in one of these specialties:

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

s, inventory and historical monuments, natural and scientific heritage. The conservators have to produce a technical and scientific research project before graduating and their 5th year is devoted to a conservation work and study in the conservation field of their specialty: Earthenware and glassware (metal, ceramic, enamel, glass), Graphic arts and books, Textile arts, Furniture, Painting, Photography or Sculpture.

Laboratory

The laboratory consists of a team including a research engineer, in charge of the laboratory, specialising in the analysis of organic matter through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, a project engineer, assistant to the laboratory head, is in charge of analysing modern hybrid matter through infrared spectroscopy, an assistant engineer and assistant to the laboratory head, is in charge of micro x-ray fluorescence and the analysis of inorganic matter. The activity and expertise of the laboratory enters within the framework of the initial training programme of conservators and is located in Aubervilliers. It is equipped with scientific imaging equipment within the establishment including several microanalytical techniques (stereo microscopy and optical microscopy, micro x-ray fluorescence, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, internal reflection infrared spectroscopy : external reflection scanning electron microscopy)... Partnerships exist between the laboratory and research laboratories in the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: *Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) *Ministry of Culture (Argentina) *Minister for the Arts (Australia) *Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan) * Ministry of ...

(

C2RMF The National Centre for Research and Restoration in French Museums (C2RMF, ''Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France'') is the national research centre in France responsible for the documentation, conservation and restorati ...

, LRMH et CRCC), as well as with musée du Quai Branly, Bibliothèque nationale de France (National Library of France), Fondation des Sciences du Patrimoine (foundation for Cultural Heritage Sciences), ComUE heSam,

Centre Pompidou The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the Centre national d'art et de culture Georges-Pompidou ( en, National Georges Pompidou Centre of Art and Culture), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English, is a complex building in the Beaubourg area of ...

, Le Corbusier Foundation, Centre national d'Art Plastique (CNAP), Carnot Foundation or the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

(MoMA) in New York.

Resources

The library, located in

, is a place of consultation and research that is, in Europe, the second reference library in the conservation of cultural heritage. The documentation and resource center, located in Paris, regroups the different documents related to the management, conservation and enhancement of cultural heritage.

References

Brainstorming Report, Towards an integrated approach to cultural and knowledge transfer for traditionnal and emerging heritage professions, Voices of Culture ‒ Structured Dialogue between the European Commission and the cultural sector, October 2017
Conservation of Graphic arts and books - articles in English http://www.tcd.ie/library/epb/blog/2016/07/an-18th-century-presentation-binding-produced-in-the-dublin-bindery-of-ann-leathley/ http://www.tcd.ie/library/epb/blog/2016/08/study-of-a-quarter-parchment-laced-case-binding-from-the-fagel-collection/ https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01439838/document Conservationof Photography - articles in English https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318762784_Ethanol_as_an_Antifungal_Treatment_for_Silver_Gelatin_Prints_Implementation_Methods_Evaluation Conservation of Earthernware and glassware (metal, glass, ceramic, enamel) - articles in English https://aics45thannualmeeting2017.sched.com/event/8xPU/objects-well-that-didnt-work-now-what-stain-reduction-on-a-10th-century-iranian-ceramic Conservation of Paintings - articles in English https://www.iiconservation.org/congress/student-poster-398 Research in the laboratory :
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308348339_'Zip'_An_adhesive_plastic_film_in_architectural_drawings https://cfee.hypotheses.org/2605

External links

Official website

INP Alumni curators Book

INP Alumni conservators Book
{{Authority control 2001 establishments in France