100 French arts chiefs are backing Macron (no-one for Le Pen?)
NewsA petition has been put up on change.org by arts leaders calling on their followers to vote for Emanuel Macron in the presidential run-off.
The names predictably include current office holders like Alexander Neef at Paris Opéra and Louis Langrée at the Opéra Comique. One wonders which official encouraged them to sign.
Here are the first 100 names:
Bénédicte Alliot, directrice de la Cité internationale des arts, Paris
Hortense Archambault, directrice de la MC93 – Maison de la Culture de Seine-Saint-Denis, Bobigny
Patrick Ayache, Président du Frac Franche-Comté, Besançon
Laurent Bayle, fondateur de la Cité de la Musique – Philharmonie de Paris
Claire Barbillon, directrice de l’Ecole du Louvre, Paris
Pauline Bayle, directrice du Nouveau théâtre de Montreuil
Jean Bellorini, directeur du Théâtre National Populaire, Villeurbanne
Charles Berling, directeur du Théâtre Liberté, Toulon
Etienne Bernard, directeur du Fonds régional d’art contemporain de Bretagne, Rennes
Nancy Berthier, directrice de la Casa de Velazquez, Madrid
Pascal Bertin, directeur du Festival Baroque de Pontoise
Bernard Blistène, directeur honoraire du Musée national d’art moderne – Centre Pompidou, Paris
Bruno Bouché, directeur artistqiue du CCN – Ballet de l’Opéra national du Rhin
Cathy Bouvard, directrice des Ateliers Médicis, Clichy-Montfermeil
Stéphane Braunschweig, directeur de l’Odéon – Théâtre de l’Europe, Paris
Richard Brunel, directeur général et artistique de l’Opéra national de Lyon
Marie-Pia Bureau, directrice de Malraux – Scène nationale Chambéry Savoie
Ulrika Byttner, directrice de l’École supérieure d’art et de design de TALM (Tours-Angers-Le Mans) – Tours, Directrice-adjointe TALM
Marie-Haude Caraës, directrice générale de l’École supérieure d’art et de design de TALM (Tours-Angers-Le Mans)
Patricia Carette, Présidente du Frac Occitanie Montpellier
Gaël Charbau, directeur artistique indépendant, directeur artistique d’Un été au Havre 2023
Eric de Chassey, directeur de l’Institut national d’histoire de l’art, Paris
Valérie Chevalier, directrice générale de l’Opéra orchestre national de Montpellier Occitanie
Catherine Chevillot, présidente de la Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine, Paris
David Chevrier, directeur artistique, Le Village, site d’expérimentation artistique, Bazouges-la-Pérouse
Alban Corbier-Labasse, directeur général de la Friche la Belle de Mai, Marseille
Armelle Dakouo, directrice artistique d’AKAA – Also Known As Africa, Paris
Abdelkader Damani, directeur du Fonds Régional d’Art Contemporain Centre-Val de Loire, Orléans
Emilie Delorme, directrice du Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse, Paris
Emmanuel Demarcy Mota, directeur du Théâtre de la Ville, Paris
Chris Dercon, président de la Réunion des Musées Nationaux – Grand Palais
Guillaume Désanges, président du Palais de Tokyo, Paris
Keren Detton, directrice du Frac Grand Large — Hauts-de-France, Dunkerque
Nasser Djemaï, directeur du Théâtre des Quartiers d’Ivry – CDN du Val-de-Marne
Jean-François Dumont, directeur général de l’École supérieure d’art et de design des Pyrénées, Pau-Tarbes
Matthieu Dussouillez, directeur de l’Opéra national de Lorraine, Nancy
Nathalie Ergino, directrice de l’IAC – Institut d’art contemporain, Villeurbanne
Alexia Fabre, directrice des Beaux-arts de Paris
Didier Fusillier, président du Parc et de la Grande Halle de La Villette, Paris
Bruno Gaudichon, directeur de La Piscine – Musée d’art et d’industrie André Diligent, Roubaix
Claude Georgel, directeur du Pôle Supérieur d’enseignement artistique Paris Boulogne-Billancourt (PSPBB)
José Manuel Gonçalves, directeur du 104, Paris
Fabienne Grasser-Fulchéri, Directrice de l’Espace de l’Art Concret, centre d’art contemporain d’intérêt national, Mouans-Sartoux
Marie Griffay, Directrice du FRAC Champagne-Ardenne, Reims
Emmanuelle Hamon, responsable du Frac, les Abattoirs, Musée – Frac Occitanie Toulouse
Dominique Hervieu, chorégraphe, directrice culturelle des Jeux Olympiques de Paris 2024
Laurence Herszberg, directrice générale du festival Series Mania, Lille
Raphaël Imbert, directeur du Conservatoire Pierre Barbizet de Marseille, INSEAM
Eric Jourdan, directeur de l’École supérieure d’art et design de Saint-Etienne
Hassane Kassi Kouyaté, directeur des Francophonies en Limousin, Limoges
Julie Kretzschmar, directrice des Rencontres à l’échelle – Bancs publics, Marseille
Jack Lang, président de l’Institut du monde arabe, Paris
Louis Langrée, directeur du Théâtre national de l’Opéra Comique, Paris
Nadine Laurens, directrice des études musique de l’institut supérieur des arts et du design de Toulouse
Erwan Le Bourdonnec, Directeur du lieu d’art La Tannerie, Bégard, Côtes d’Armor
Catherine Lefaix-Chauvel, directrice générale du Pont supérieur, Pôle d’enseignement supérieur spectacle vivant Bretagne – Pays de la Loire, Nantes
Pierre-Yves Lenoir et Claudia Stavisky, directeurs du Théâtre des Célestins, Lyon
Olivier Letellier, directeur des Tréteaux de France, centre national dramatique itinérant
Stéphane Lissner, directeur de l’Opéra San Carlo, Naples
Jean de Loisy, ancien président du Palais de Tokyo et ancien directeur des Beaux-Arts de Paris
Laurence de Magalhaes, Stéphane Ricordel et Jean-Michel Ribes, directeurs du Théâtre du Rond-Point, Paris
Macha Makeieff, directrice du Théâtre National de Marseille, La Criée
Olivier Mantei, directeur de la Cité de la Musique – Philharmonie de Paris et copropriétaire des Bouffes du Nord
Antoine Marchand, directeur du Lait, centre d’art contemporain d’intérêt national, Albi
Valérie Mazouin, directrice du centre d’art contemporain Chapelle Saint Jacques, Saint Gaudens
Laurence Maynier, Directrice de la Fondation des Artistes, Paris
Béatrice Méline, directrice, galerie Raymond Hains & école des beaux-arts de Saint-Brieuc
Arnaud Meunier, directeur de la MC2, Maison de la Culture de Grenoble
Élisabeth Milon, Co-présidente de l’Association nationale des écoles d’art territoriales de pratiques amateurs – Directrice de l’école d’arts plastiques et de la classe préparatoire de Vitry-sur-Seine
Bernard de Montferrand, Président du FRAC Nouvelle Aquitaine MECA, Bordeaux
Marc Monjou, directeur général de l’École européenne supérieure de l’Image Angoulême-Poitiers
Edouard Mornaux, directeur du Centre Intermondes, La Rochelle
Amel Nafti, directrice de l’École supérieure d’art et design de Grenoble-Valence
Alexander Neef, directeur général de l’Opéra national de Paris
Pascal Neveux, président du Cipac – Fédération des professionnels de l’art contemporain et directeur du Frac Picardie, Amiens
Pap Ndiaye, directeur du Palais de la Porte Dorée – Musée national de l’histoire de l’immigration et Aquarium Tropical, Paris
Stanislas Nordey, directeur du Théâtre National de Strasbourg
Michel Orier, directeur de la musique et de la création de Radio France
Rachid Ouramdane, directeur de Chaillot – Théâtre national de la Danse, Paris
Eric Penso, Numa Hambursin et Yann Mazéas, respectivement président, directeur général, et directeur de l’école d’art du MO.CO – Montpellier Contemporain
Alain Perroux, directeur de l’Opéra national du Rhin, Strasbourg
Maëlle Poésy, directrice du Théâtre Dijon-Bourgogne
Francesca Poloniato, directrice du ZEF, Scène nationale de Marseille
Olivier Poubelle, copropriétaire des Bouffes du Nord et de l’Athénée Louis Jouvet, Paris
Caroline Pozmentier-Sportich, présidente du FRAC Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur, Marseille
Olivier Py, directeur du Festival d’Avignon
Christophe Rauck, directeur du Théâtre Nanterres Amandiers
Eric Ruf, administrateur de la Comédie française, Paris
Françoise Seince, directrice de l’École nationale supérieure d’art de Limoges
Alexandra Servel, responsable du centre d’art La Graineterie, Houilles
Mario Serviable, président du FRAC Ile De La Réunion
Pierre Soignon, Directeur du Castel Coucou, Forbach
Sam Stourdzé, directeur de la Villa Medicis, Rome
Catherine Texier, Directrice du Frac-Artothèque Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Limoges
Etienne Théry, directeur de l’École supérieure d’art de Lorraine, pôle Arts plastiques d’Épinal
Emmanuel Tibloux, directeur de l’École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, Paris
Jean-Baptiste Tivolle, président du FRAC Grand Large – Hauts de France et Président de Platform
Stephen Touron, Co-président de l’Association nationale des classes préparatoires publiques aux écoles supérieures d’art – Directeur de l’école d’art du Calaisis, Calais
Marie Wozniak, directrice de l’École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Grenoble
Danièle Yvergniaux, directrice générale de l’École européenne supérieure d’art de Bretagne, Brest-Lorient-Quimper-Rennes
Last time around Lepen had the endorsement of the US chief of con art.
Musicians are leftists. Who knew?
French performing artists and institutions have nothing to expect and everything to fear from Le Pen, above all a reduction of government money. So no surprise that they sign such a petition.
I have enough troubles as it is without mastering the finer points of French politics, but if these people have “everything to fear” from Le Pen that is exactly why signing the petition is a potential blunder for people who depend so much on government largesse. They will swing few votes, so Macron won’t be obliged to be super grateful, just as betting on the sure thing does not bring the big bucks, but they may have needlessly painted targets on their backs should he fail.
Macron is favored — almost assumed — to prevail, but then so was Hillary Clinton. Lesson learned: people lie to pollsters.
You rarely see the facial expressions that you saw that night.
“One wonders which official encouraged them to sign.” No, one does not. Given the choice between a center-right liberal (in the European sense of the term) and an all out fascist, this is not rocket science. I would vote for Macron in a Paris second, even though he is way to the right of my preferred policies.
Yeah, I don’t know why it’s a surprise that figures in the arts wouldn’t support a crypto-fascist, who got her start in politics under the mentorship of her anti-Semitic and Holocaust-denier father. Sure, Marine le Pen has been moderating her tone this time around. But the notion that she’s a normal center-right politician is ridiculous. I’m sure she’d be well within the U.S. Republican party mainstream, but the Republican party is mostly extreme right these days. I remember seeing a poll showing that not a single British electoral constituency would’ve voted for Donald Trump in a hypothetical U.K. election with Joe Biden. And this is a country with a comfortable Conservative majority and Boris as PM.
In a world where the left controls the arts and claims the right to decide what is acceptable, what is current etc. who can risk to publicly support a right party. I am a Spanish citizen and I will vote for VOX (ideologically the equivalent of the US-American republican party) in the next general election, but I know that if I declared publicly my support for VOX I would lose so many job opportunities. I am sure it is the case with many of the persons in that list.
Vox supports Donald Trump. That doesn’t mean they are the “equivalent” of the US Republican party. Most US Republicans have distanced themselves from Trump. Spain’s Vox is allied with Trump’s fringe movement. That is no longer the US Republican party.
Yeah, I’d say it’s probably a mistake to admit you vote Vox in most polite company in Spain. You’d have to make sure you’re in the company of other far right, nationalistic, homophobic, climate change denying xenophobes who choose to repress women’s rights and repeal laws to prevent gender violence against women.
I can see where it could be especially difficult for anyone in the arts to openly support Vox, since bullfighting is the most profound expression of culture Vox embraces.
I know you’re a respected contributor here, Hispana-vox. You make interesting contributions which I appreciate. But I’m sure you know that the readership of Slipped Disc is a particularly bad place to come out as a Vox voter.
Not a good idea to say you are a Vox voter on here. The wrong platform to whip up such a thing.
Except for your last paragraph, the rest of your comments are ignorant silliness. You prove Hispa-vox’s points splendidly.
Look. I’ve lived & worked in both the Spain & the US. I am a dual national. I try to understand the far right movement in both places.
What I see in Spain is an extraordinary misconception of what Donald Trump stands for. Vox is cherry picking. And their info is outdated. It’s the equivalent of a conservative US movement finding one superficial aspect of a corrupt Spanish politician who is no longer in office and announcing their universal support of this person as part of their platform.
It raises red flags about Vox’s credibility on everything else. It’s a mystery to me how commenter Hispa-vox can be a gay married man voting for a party which opposes gay marriage. Vox believes that climate change is a hoax. If Hispa-vox is working for a company which promotes environmental issues, he’s shooting himself in the foot.
And Hispa-vox, as a man (which I assume you also are, Hayne) has no business sitting in judgement on abortion rights for women or deciding that gender based violence is not a woman’s issue. And this in a country where gender based violence against women is a grave problem. How can any man, gay or otherwise, feel that it is their political right to pass judgement on these issues?
I work with guys who vote Vox. And yes, I’ve noticed that their treatment of women is usually consistant with Vox’s platform.
And yet Hispa-vox can excuse all of this dubious Vox doctrine presumably because they are “conservative” and support traditional Spanish values & nationalism? Spain’s nationalism & US nationalism are very different, literally apples & oranges. The minute Vox tries to attach themselves to someone like Donald Trump with the misguided goal of “Make Spain Great Again” it’s a fail. The US is not Spain.
But as Hispa-vox himself said: “whatever”.
“You’d have to make sure you’re in the company of other far right, nationalistic, homophobic, climate change denying xenophobes who choose to repress women’s rights and repeal laws to prevent gender violence against women.”
Yes, that is me: the son of a latin-american immigrant and a Spanish mother, homosexual married to a man from a non-EU country who works as a lawyer for a well-known NGO that campaigns for global issues including climate change and deforestation, living until 2 years ago in another EU country. That’s me: a homophobic climate-change-denying xenophobe.
Whatever.
Hispana-vox: and as a Vox voter you identify with Donald Trump why exactly?
Un facha orgulloso en el ’22 ( del siglo xxi)
Como hemos llegado a esto?
Qué verguenza.
La verdad.
Thank you for illustrating my point: if I don’t align and it’s ideology, if I declare my support to a conservative party (nevermind it is PP or VOX) I am called a fascist (facha).
Same thing probably goes to many on that list.
Hispa-vox, I understand the desire to vote conservative in Spain. I can get behind some of what Vox stands for.
However, there’s a reason why Vox voters are overwhelmingly male. Conservative values should not mean pushing women’s rights back to the 1950’s. That was Franco’s Spain. Gender based violence against women is a huge problem in Spain. Vox is denying this by trying to rebrand it as “family” violence.
Look in the news, Hispa-vox! The La Manada gang rape in Pamplona was not “family violence”. Laura Lelmo in Huelva was raped & murdered by a man she’d never met before. A close friend of mine was beaten within an inch of her life by a man who was a complete stranger. The cases go on & on. This is not “domestic violence”. It is violence by men against women & Vox is denying that.
Culturally, as Vox accedes to power, there is fear of artistic censorship & worse. They want to liquidate the regional governments which are now allowing them to enter the political mainstream. These are the same regional governments who fund Spain’s orchestras & arts programs.
With one foot barely in the door, Vox has already made its cultural priorities clear. Their first official act was appointing a regional Minister of Culture. In a region of Spain rich with art, history, museums, universities, music & ballet conservatories & a world class symphony orchestra, who did they name as the new Culture Minister? A bullfighting expert.
Marine Le Pen is a big fan of Vox. Maybe we’ll see her at the bullfights.
Sorry to disagree, but Vox is not the Spanish equivalent to the whole of Republican party in the USA.
It is the the Spanish version of the European far-right, rabidly anti-immigrant parties, some of them fringe neonazi or closet neofascist, as in Germany or Italy.
In the USA, it would be close to the Trumpist extreme-right of the Republicans.
Word. Spot on.
“neofascist”
Come on amazonian, we’re not talking about Ukraine.
Amazonian is right. Hayne, read & learn. You are clueless about the history of fascism in Spain or far right movements in Europe.
Sure. Speaking of fascist movements in Ukraine…
https://popularresistance.org/zelensky-oversees-campaign-of-assassination-kidnapping-and-torture-of-political-opposition/
Well, that’s a pretty scary article & an even scarier news source. If that’s what you’re reading, Hayne, I get why you’re defending Vox & Le Pen & probably Franco, Hitler & Putin as well. I’m just someone who doesn’t agree with Vox. Officially stepping away.
The “Republican” socialists vs the “Nationalist” socialist faction both committed unspeakable atrocities in their civil war. I wonder what they had in common…
These people represent the middle and upper strata of french society. Underneath, there’s a seething cauldron of frustration of all the people who don’t have the means or itnerest to attend cultural events, a situation that Macron inherited and was not of his making. And which his party has done already much to relieve. If Le Pen would win, this would be a disaster not ony for France but also for Europe, especially in these days – Le Pen is a putinist.
They apparently forgot or appreciated the closure of all cultural venues for so many months ( while tobacco and alcohol shops never closed )
It’s Le Pen, not Lepen! And ‘No-one’ is debatable. That aside, what exactly is your story here? Surprise that they should support Macron? Disappointment that they aren’t backing Le Pen? A belief that they are being encouraged/forced to add their names to the list? It’s not clear at all. Slow news day?
My aunt Helen who lives in Paris has been calling around frenetically, anxious she would have to let go of her Algerian gardeners if Le Pen would win. So, it’s really an important story, staff wise!
Sally
The subtle insinuation, without any evidence, is typical of the click-bait “journalism” that’s all too common today. And I don’t know why Mr. Lebrecht (or his headline writer) asks the rhetorical question “no-one for le Pen?” An online petition calling for people to vote for Macron naturally wouldn’t include the names of le Pen supporters. If Mr. Lebrecht wants to know if any French arts figures support le Pen, you’d think he would research and see.
And in the grand scheme of things that’s exactly 100 nobodies.
What a nonsensical comment…… these people represent a cultural class, entirely distinct from who did and who did not sign the text.
Typical deconnected elite which sunk the country for 30 years. Brainwashing and keeping their advantage with the cherry on cake or good conscience and moral rightness. Just ask a 14 years old to understand a Hugo poem or 8×7 , you will be surprised. Decline is not a fantasy. They jump like monkeys, not le Pen not le Pen but never address the very reasons why far right has been so strong for so long, it s easier and let them keep their seat. Never politician have been so uneffective and so unable to change people’s life. Macron is all verb and didn’t do anything. Even with the verb, he will say white Monday, black Thursday. Just depend who he is speaking to. Le pens is nobody’s cup of tea, she s just not the system which is dooming the country.
Nonsense. The ReM did a lot to solve social problems, but not enough in only 5 years to reverse a negative trend that had decennia in the making. In France, the president has much power but the disadvantage is that he is seen as responsible for everything, which is irrational.
Toute la maçonnerie culturelle recrutée sur une seule page!
Funny how Democracy makes them crap themselves in their pants!…
It is ‘macronie’, not ‘maçonnerie’. The rest is also wrong.
Maybe it has to be read: franc-maçonnerie?
Why would le Pen supporters sign a petition supporting Macron? I don’t understand the headline.
Quel honte. que les fonctionnaires. As- t- il en besoin?
If I wanted political advice these are the last people I’d take it from.
In France, politicians don’t take political advice from people active in culture, but try to incorporate culture in the context of national identity: the country as a cultural nation, in the same way as Germany is a Kulturnation. This has long roots in history – culture as part of the common good, instead of mere entertainment.
hahahahah do these people really think they have followers?
France-Paris aren’t in great shape as things now stand because they’re too conservative, too rightwing. So a far more liberal version of Emmanual Macron is the way to go. For now, he’ll have to do.
Leftism is the best for everyone.