The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the

Government of France The Government of France (French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who ...

in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visual, plastic, theatrical, musical, dance, architectural, literary, televisual and cinematographic) on national soil and abroad. Its budget is mainly dedicated to the management of the (six national sites and hundred decentralised storage facilities) and the regional (culture centres). Its main office is in the in the

1st arrondissement of Paris The 1st arrondissement of Paris (''Ier arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is colloquially referred to as ''le premier'' (the first). I ...

on the . It is headed by the Minister of Culture, a cabinet member. The current officeholder has been since 20 May 2022.

History

Deriving from the Italian and Burgundian courts of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

, 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 An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

, the

Académie de peinture et de sculpture An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

and other state-sponsored institutions of artistic production, and through the cultural policies of

Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

's minister

Jean-Baptiste Colbert Jean-Baptiste Colbert (; 29 August 1619 – 6 September 1683) was a French statesman who served as First Minister of State from 1661 until his death in 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His lasting impact on the organization of the country ...

. The modern post of Minister of Culture was created by

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Governm ...

in 1959 and the first officeholders was the writer

André Malraux Georges André Malraux ( , ; 3 November 1901 – 23 November 1976) was a French novelist, art theorist, and Minister of Culture (France), minister of cultural affairs. Malraux's novel ''La Condition Humaine'' (Man's Fate) (1933) won the Prix Go ...

. Malraux was responsible for realising the goals of the ''droit à la culture'' ("right to culture"), an idea which had been incorporated in the

Constitution of France The current Constitution of France was adopted on 4 October 1958. It is typically called the Constitution of the Fifth Republic , and it replaced the Constitution of the Fourth Republic of 1946 with the exception of the preamble per a Consti ...

and the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt ...

(1948), by democratising access to culture, while also achieving the

Gaullist Gaullism (french: link=no, Gaullisme) is a French political stance based on the thought and action of World War II French Resistance leader Charles de Gaulle, who would become the founding President of the Fifth French Republic. De Gaulle with ...

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. Archives nationales Pierrefitte 1

Under President

François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...

the Minister of Culture was Jack Lang who showed himself to be far more open to popular cultural production, including

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm ...

rap music Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of imag ...

comic books A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are oft ...

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fash ...

and

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is in ...

. 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 The Fête de la Musique, also known in English as Music Day, Make Music Day or World Music Day, is an annual music celebration that takes place on 21 June. On Music Day, citizens and residents are urged to play music outside in their neighborho ...

'' and overseeing the French Revolution bicentennial (1989), he was in charge of the massive architectural program of the

years (the so-called ''Grands travaux'' or "Great Works") that gave permission for the building of the

Bibliothèque nationale A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...

, the new

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the '' Venus de Milo''. A central ...

, the Arab World Institute, the

Musée d'Orsay The Musée d'Orsay ( , , ) ( en, Orsay Museum) is a museum in Paris, France, on the Left Bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French a ...

, the Opéra-Bastille, the "

Grande Arche La Grande Arche de la Défense (; "The Great Arch of the Defense"), originally called La Grande Arche de la Fraternité (; "Fraternity"), is a monument and building in the business district of La Défense and in the commune of Puteaux, to the west ...

" of

La Défense La Défense () is a major business district in France, located west of the city limits of Paris. It is part of the Paris metropolitan area in the Île-de-France region, located in the department of Hauts-de-Seine in the communes of Courbev ...

(the Parisian business quarter), the new seat of the French Ministry for the Economy and Finance, the

Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre The Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre (french: Centre culturel Tjibaou), on the narrow Tinu Peninsula, approximately northeast of the historic centre of Nouméa, the capital of New Caledonia, celebrates the vernacular Kanak culture, the ind ...

, and the

Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie ("City of Science and Industry", abbreviated la CSI) or simply CSI is the biggest science museum in Europe. Located in the Parc de la Villette in Paris, France, it is one of the three dozen French Cultu ...

and Cité de la Musique, both in the

Parc de la Villette The Parc de la Villette is the third-largest park in Paris, in area, located at the northeastern edge of the city in the 19th arrondissement. The park houses one of the largest concentrations of cultural venues in Paris, including the Cité d ...

. The Ministry of

Jacques Toubon Jacques Toubon (born 29 June 1941) is a right-wing French politician who held several major national and Parisian offices. He has been serving as Defender of Rights (Ombudsman) between 2014 and 2020. Political career Governmental functions ...

was notable for a number of laws (the " Toubon Laws") enacted for the preservation of the

French language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in N ...

, both in advertisements (all ads must include a French translation of foreign words) and on the radio (35% of songs on French radio stations must be in French), ostensibly in reaction to the presence of English.

Ministers of Culture

The following people were appointed as Minister of Culture of France: * February 1959:

* June 1969: Edmond Michelet * October 1970:

André Bettencourt André Bettencourt (; 21 April 1919 – 19 November 2007) was a French politician. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre, and was a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. He had been a member of La Cagoule, a violent French fascist-leaning and anti- ...

* January 1971: * April 1973: Maurice Druon * March 1974:

Alain Peyrefitte Alain Peyrefitte (; 26 August 1925 – 27 November 1999) 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. Peyrefitte is remembered ...

* June 1974: * August 1976: Françoise Giroud * March 1977: Michel d'Ornano * April 1978: Jean-Philippe Lecat * March 1981: Michel d'Ornano * May 1981: Jack Lang * March 1986: François Léotard * May 1988: Jack Lang * March 1993:

* May 1995: Philippe Douste-Blazy * June 1997: Catherine Trautmann * March 2000:

Catherine Tasca Catherine Tasca (born 13 December 1941 in Lyon) was a member of the Senate of France, representing the Yvelines department from 2004 to 2017. She is a member of the Socialist Party, and served as the Senate's vice-president. From 2000 to 2002 s ...

* May 2002: Jean-Jacques Aillagon * March 2004: Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres * May 2007:

Christine Albanel Christine Albanel (born 25 June 1955) is a French politician and civil servant. From May 2007 to June 2009, she was France's Minister for Culture and Communication in François Fillon's government. Early career Albanel is agrégé in classica ...

* June 2009: Frédéric Mitterrand * May 2012:

Aurélie Filippetti Aurélie Filippetti ( ; born 17 June 1973) is a French politician and novelist. She served as French Minister of Culture and Communications from 2012 until 2014, first in the government of Jean-Marc Ayrault and then in the government of Manu ...

* August 2014:

Fleur Pellerin Fleur Pellerin (; née Kim Jong-sook, born 29 August 1973) is a French businesswoman, former civil servant and Socialist Party politician who served as a French government minister from 2012 to 2016. Early life Pellerin was born in 1973 in Seou ...

* February 2016: Audrey Azoulay * May 2017:

Françoise Nyssen Françoise Nyssen (born 9 June 1951) is a French-Belgian publisher and politician and a former director of the Actes Sud publishing house. From 2017 until 2018, she served as Minister of Culture of France in the government of Prime Minister Édo ...

* October 2018:

Franck Riester Franck Riester (born 3 January 1974) is a French politician who has been serving as Minister Delegate for Parliamentary Relations in the Government of Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne since July 2022. He previously served as Minister Delegate for ...

* July 2020: Roselyne Bachelot * May 2022:

Rima Abdul Malak Rima Abdul Malak (born 11 February 1979) is a French- Lebanese politician who has been serving as Minister of Culture in the government of Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne since May 2022. Early life Abdul Malak was born into a Lebanese Ch ...

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'' * 2017: ''Ministère de la Culture''

Organisation

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 and heritage ** ''Inventaire général du patrimoine culturel'' maintains extensive databases of historical sites and objects via the

Base Mérimée The ''Base Mérimée'' is the database of French monumental and architectural heritage, created and maintained by the French Ministry of Culture. It was created in 1978, and placed online in 1995. The database is periodically updated, and contains ...

and ''

monument historique ''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a col ...

'' status. * ''Direction des archives de France'' (DAF) in charge of the National Archives * ''Direction du livre et de la lecture'' (DLL) in charge of

French literature French literature () generally speaking, is 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 F ...

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 national museums The Ministry has access to one inter-ministerial 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 Télévisions France Télévisions (; stylized since 2018 as ) is the French national public television broadcaster. It is a state-owned company formed from the integration of the public television channels France 2 (formerly Antenne 2) and France 3 (form ...

) 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

and

languages of France Of the languages of France, French is the sole official language according to the second article of the French Constitution. French, a Gallo-Romance language, is spoken by nearly the entire population of France. In addition to French, several ...

Finally, the Ministry shares in the management of the National Centre of Cinema (Centre national de la cinématographie), a public institution. The

Alliance française An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

is run by the

Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs () is the ministry of the Government of France that handles France's foreign relations. Since 1855, its headquarters have been located at 37 Quai d'Orsay, close to the National Assembly. The term Q ...

Other services

On the national level, the Ministry also runs: *

Regional In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

Cultural Affairs (Direction régionale des affaires culturelles, DRAC) * Departmental Architecture and Monuments (Services départementaux de l'architecture et du patrimoine, SDAP) * Departmental Archives under the direction of the departmental councils * Centre National de la Danse, institution for the study and preservation of dance

Cultural activities

The Ministry of Culture is responsible for, or a major sponsor of, a number of annual cultural activities, including the ''

'', the

Maison de la culture de Grenoble The Maison de la Culture de Grenoble, commonly called MC2, is a public venue for public events located on the Avenue Marcellin-Berthelot in Grenoble, France. History Built by André Wogenscky on the occasion of the Olympics, MC2 was inaugurated ...

, the '' Festival d'Avignon'', the

Public Establishment of the Palace, Museum and National Estate of Versailles The Public Establishment of the Palace, Museum and National Estate of Versailles (French: Établissement public du château, du musée et du domaine national de Versailles) is a French public establishment founded in 1995, and working under the ...

, the

Joconde Joconde is the central database created in 1975 and now available online, maintained by the French Ministry of Culture, for objects in the collections of the main French public and private museums listed as ''Musées de France'', according to ...

(online database of objects in French museums), the

(database of listed heritage monuments), and the

Maître d'art ''Maître d'art'' (Master of Art) is a title awarded for life by the 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 ...

program.

References

External links

*
Culture Portal of the Ministry of Culture
(Page index in English, documents in French)
Culture Portal of the Ministry of Culture

English pages
(Archive) {{DEFAULTSORT:Minister Of Culture (France) French culture Culture ministers Government ministries of France