The Minister of Culture and Communications 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 centers). The Ministry of Culture is located on the Palais Royal in Paris. Symbol of the French government The government of France is a semi-presidential system based on the French Constitution of the fifth Republic, in which the nation declares itself to be an indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic. The constitution provides for a separation of powers and proclaims Frances... French government ministers are members of the Prime Ministers cabinet, although in French the term cabinet is rarely used to describe the gouvernement, even in translation (as it is used in French to mean a ministers private office, composed of politically-appointed aides). ... Gardens of the Palais-Royal: The illustration, from an 1863 guide to Paris, enlarges the apparent scale. ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ...

History

Deriving from the Italian 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. Coat of arms of the 2nd duchy of Burgundy and later of the French province of Burgundy Burgundy (French: Bourgogne) is a historic region of France, inhabited in turn by Pre-Indo-European people, Celts (Gauls), Romans (Gallo-Romans), and various Germanic peoples, most importantly the Burgundians and the Franks. ... By region Italian Renaissance Spanish Renaissance Northern Renaissance French Renaissance German Renaissance English Renaissance The Renaissance, also known as Il Rinascimento (in Italian), was an influential cultural movement which brought about a period of scientific revolution and artistic transformation, at the dawn of modern European history. ... The Académie française, or French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. ... The Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture (Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture), Paris, was founded in 1648, modelled on Italian examples, such as the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. ... For the musical group of the same name, see Louis XIV (band). ... Jean-Baptiste Colbert Jean-Baptiste Colbert (August 29, 1619 – September 6, 1683) served as the French minister of finance for 22 years under King Louis XIV. He achieved a reputation for his work of improving the state of French manufacturing and bringing the economy back from the brink of bankruptcy...

The modern post of Minister of Culture was created by Charles de Gaule 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") -- a 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 centers 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. Portrait of General Charles de Gaulle. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... André Malraux, French author, adventurer, and statesman André Malraux (November 3, 1901 - November 23, 1976) was a French author, adventurer and statesman preeminent in the world of French politics and culture during his lifetime. ... The current Constitution of France was adopted on October 4, 1958, and has been amended 17 times, most recently on March 28, 2003. ... The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (also UDHR) is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (A/RES/217, December 10, 1948), outlining a view on basic human rights. ... Gaullism is a French political ideology based on the thought and action of Charles de Gaulle. ...

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"), cartoons, 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 bicentenial (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). â–¶(?) (October 26, 1916 – January 8, 1996) was a French politician. ... Jack Lang (born September 2, 1939) is a French politician. ... Jazz master Louis Armstrong remains one of the most loved and best known of all jazz musicians. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Hip hop music is a style of popular music. ... Graffiti on the banks of the Tiber river in Rome, Italy. ... Graffiti on the banks of the Tiber river in Rome, Italy. ... A cartoon is any of several forms of art, with varied meanings that evolved from one to another. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... This article refers to a European music festival. ... The new buildings of the library. ... I.M. Peis Louvre Pyramid: the entrance to the galleries lies below the glass pyramid The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre) in Paris, France, is one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. ... Musée dOrsay Exterior view in the afternoon Musée dOrsay Inside the main hall The Musée dOrsay is a museum in Paris, situated on the left bank of the River Seine. ... The Opéra Bastille Opéra Bastille is a modern opera house in Paris, France. ... The Grande Arche, La Défense district The Grande Arche de la Fraternité is a monument in the business district of La Défense to the west of Paris. ... La Défense, the new skyline of Paris La Défense is a district of high-rise offices, apartment blocks and shopping complexes over part of the communes of Nanterre, Courbevoie and Puteaux (all in the Hauts-de-Seine département), to the west of Paris. ... Villette is a novel by Charlotte Brontë. ...

The Ministry of Jacques Toubon was notable for a number of laws (the "Toubon Laws") 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. Jacques Toubon is a conservative French politician. ... The Toubon Law (full name: law 94-665 of 4 August 1994 relating to usage of the French language), is a law of the French government mandating the use of the French language in official government publications, advertisements, and some other contexts. ... French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ...

The current minister is Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres. Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres is Frances Minister of Culture since 2003. ...

Ministers of Culture

• February 1959 André Malraux
• June 1969 Edmond Michelet
• October 1970 André Bettencourt
• January 1971 Jacques Duhamel
• April 1973 Maurice Druon
• March 1974 Alain Peyrefitte
• June 1974 Michel Guy
• 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
• June 1988 Jack Lang
• May 1991 Jack Lang
• April 1992 Jack Lang
• March 1993 Jacques Toubon
• May 1995 Philippe Douste-Blazy
• June 1997 Catherine Trautmann
• March 2000 Catherine Tasca
• May 2002 Jean-Jacques Aillagon
• March 2004 Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres

For a complete list see [1]. André Malraux, French author, adventurer, and statesman André Malraux (November 3, 1901 - November 23, 1976) was a French author, adventurer and statesman preeminent in the world of French politics and culture during his lifetime. ... André Bettencourt (21 April 1919 - ?) is a French politician. ... Maurice Druon (born April 23, 1918) is a French novelist and member of Académie française. ... Jack Lang (born September 2, 1939) is a French politician. ... Jack Lang (born September 2, 1939) is a French politician. ... Jack Lang (born September 2, 1939) is a French politician. ... Jack Lang (born September 2, 1939) is a French politician. ... Jack Lang (born September 2, 1939) is a French politician. ... Jacques Toubon is a conservative French politician. ... Philippe Douste-Blazy (b. ... Mme Catherine Trautmann (born on 15 January 1951 in Strasbourg) is a former Minister of Culture of France and now Member of the European Parliament for the East of France. ... Jean-Jacques Aillagon (born October 2, 1946, Metz) is a French politician, a close confident to Jacques Chirac and member of the RPR - Rally for the Republic political party. ... Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres is Frances Minister of Culture since 2003. ...

Names of the Ministry of Culture

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’Education 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

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
• 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 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 : French 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 other traditional non-French languages. ... The culture of France is diverse, reflecting regional differences as well as the influence of recent immigration. ...

• 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).

The Ministry also runs three "delegations" (administrative boards) : Compared to other European nations, the French are not avid newspaper readers, citing only 164 adults out of every 1000 as newspaper readers. ... Logo France télévisions headquarters in Paris France Télévisions is the French public national television broadcaster. ...

• Délégation aux arts plastiques (DAP) - in charge of 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 language and languages of France.

Finally, the Ministry shares in the management of the National Center of Cinema (Centre national de la cinématographie), a public institution (go to their link here). French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ... There are a number of languages of France, although the French language is by far the most widely spoken and the only official language of the country. ...

The Alliance française is run by the Minister of Foreign Affairs (France). The Alliance française is a non-profit organisation whose mission is to promote French language and culture outside France. ... In 1589, the four French Secretaries of State became specialized, with one of the secretaries responsible for foreign affairs. ...

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.

France is divided into 26 régions: 21 of these are in the continental part of metropolitan France, one is Corse on the island of Corsica (although strictly speaking Corse is in fact a territorial collectivity, not a région, but is referred to as a région in common... The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France and many former French colonies, roughly analogous to British counties. ... The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France and many former French colonies, roughly analogous to British counties. ...

Cultural Activities

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

• Fête de la Musique
• Avignon theater festival

This article refers to a European music festival. ... View over the Rhône River to North-East with Mt Ventoux at the rear Palais des papes Square below the Palace of the Popes Paul Vs coat-of-arms on the Palais des papes The Notre Dame des Doms cathedral is located in the heart of Avignon, near...

Links

• Ministry of Culture (in French)
• Culture Portal of the Ministry of Culture (in French)