TO PROTECT HERITAGE, TO INSPIRE EMOTIONS. PRIVATE MUSEUMS IN FRANCE

The French museum world is dominated by largepublic institution. The cradle of public museology, Franceboasts a long-standing tradition of central management inthis domain, whose continuation can be found in the currentlegislative solutions (Act of 4 January 2002) organizing thesystem of museum activity, their approval, and financingmodes. It is all based on the musée de France status that canbe granted to institutions owned either by the state or to anyother legal entity under public law or legal entity under privatelaw engaged in a non-profit activity. The latter, belonging toassociations and foundations, or run by them, in order towin the state’s recognition and support, have to comply withspecific requirements defined in particular with respect toconservation and scientific elaboration of the collections, aswell as to making them available for public viewing.What dominates among ‘private’ museums are institutionsof the public benefit organization status, whose model wasshaped in the 19th century, e.g. the Paris Union Centrale desArts Décoratifs or Cinémathèque Française, to a substantialdegree financed with public resources. Some of them,e.g. ecomuseums and industrial museums in Mulhouse,are almost self-sufficient financially. Another form ofa ‘private’ museum is a foundation set up by a company/concern or artists and patrons. The latter group includesinstitutions that are owned by e.g. Institut de France inParis, Musée Calvet in Avignon, or Fondation Maeght inSaint-Paul-de-Vence, as well as first of all those involvedin mounting big Paris exhibitions, foundations – museumsof modern art: Fondation Cartier, Fondation Louis Vuitton,or Collection Pinault which is currently being established.Thanks to their spectacular architectural settings, aggressivepublicity policy, and astounding turn-out successes, thesenew private museums are substantially transforming theartistic stage in France.