The tradition is preserved: a curator replaces a curator as president of the Musée d’Orsay and the Orangerie, in Paris. The Elysée had decided to interrupt the first mandate of Christophe Leribault at the head of the museum dedicated to the 19the century, to entrust him with the presidency of the Palace of Versailles. Chosen to succeed him, Sylvain Amic, 56, stood out at the Rouen Museum of Fine Arts for several exhibitions in line with Parisian expectations. Paying homage to the Impressionists and Flaubert, bringing together Picasso and Braque, or bringing in the Treasures of Siena, the curator demonstrated obvious dynamism, as well as a certain political sense.
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Leaving Normandy in 2022, he joined Rima Abdul Malak’s office, as a museum and arts and crafts advisor, building networks in Rue de Valois and adding a useful line for a career in the public sector. Announced on Thursday April 18, this appointment, which marks a journey carried out in several metropolises – before Rouen, he had cut his teeth at the Fabre Museum in Montpellier – echoes the speech hammered out by Rachida Dati since his appointment.
The minister, who insists on access to culture for audiences far from the capital, has, according to information from World, recommended the profile of Sylvain Amic to Emmanuel Macron. “He is a great museum professional, chosen because of his strong convictions for a territorial cultural policy”argues the Elysée, recalling the participation of Sylvain Amic in the launch of the “catalogue of desires” by the former Minister of Culture Françoise Nyssen, whose objective was to circulate masterpieces from national collections throughout the region.
A hope of continuity
For the staff of the Musée d’Orsay, the upcoming arrival of an even-tempered and consensual personality, a specialist in the 19the century without being confined to it, is a hope of continuity. During his two and a half years of activity, in fact, Christophe Leribault was appreciated by calm management.
Emmanuel Macron, who, according to information from Figaro, met Sylvain Amic last week, preferred him to half a dozen other names that had been circulating. Including those of Xavier Rey, current director of the National Museum of Modern Art; Olivia Voisin, director of the Orléans Museum of Fine Arts; Sylvie Patry, artistic director at the Kamel Mennour gallery; and Olivier Gabet, director of the art objects department at the Louvre, who both applied for this position in 2021.
As president, Sylvain Amic will have to manage large-scale work aimed at improving the reception of the Musée d’Orsay and the opening of the Daniel Marchesseau research center, work on which begins in September on Quai Voltaire.
