U la l’art! France Does It Again For Art

International Mon 19-01-2009

U la l’art! France Does It Again For Art
By a Correspondent

NIMES, France (AFP) — All French youths under 25 are to get free entry to public museums and monuments, from the Louvre to the Chateau de Versailles, under measures unveiled by President Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday.

In a New Year's address to the arts world, Sarkozy said under-25s and school teachers would be allowed in to all museums free of charge from April 4, in addition to under-18s who already enjoy free tickets. As part of a raft of announcements aimed at promoting French culture and the arts, Sarkozy said he planned to create a new national history museum, in a "symbolic" site, in a bid to reinforce France's identity.

France's annual national heritage budget will be boosted by 100 million euros, with priority given to preserving "emblematic great monuments, cathedrals, abbeys and small town monuments," he said.

Sarkozy also announced he would lift a partial freeze on state funding for the performing arts in 2009, and said he was committed to preserving France's special welfare regime for arts and entertainment workers.

French film producer Marin Karmitz was named head of a new arts council, co-chaired by Sarkozy and Culture Minister Christine Albanel, that will aim to "refocus" state subsidies to promote "excellence" in the arts. And the president signalled a major push on arts education, with partnerships to be struck between French cultural bodies and all schools -- from kindergarten right through to university.

AFP

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La France offre la gratuité de ses musées d'Etat au moins de 25 ans

Les musées et monuments de l'Etat français seront bientôt gratuits pour les jeunes de moins de 25 ans et les professeurs. La mesure entrera en vigueur le 4 avril, date du début des vacances de Pâques.

Nicolas Sarkozy a plaidé pour le renforcement de l'éducation artistique. Si on la développe à l'école, dit-il, "on élargira le public culturel".

Déplorant l'absence d'un grand musée d'histoire en France, il a annoncé la création d'une "Maison de l'histoire de France", qui sera installée dans un lieu symbolique. Nicolas Sarkozy s'est engagé à une rallonge budgétaire annuelle de 100 millions d'euros pour le patrimoine durant sa présidence. Il a signalé qu'avec la ministre de la Culture, il allait présider un "conseil pour la création artistique" afin de "recentrer les aides sur l'excellence artistique".

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