Nicolas Bourriaud was dismissed yesterday, 2 July, from his post as the director of the École Nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Paris (Ensba), France’s most prestigious art school, by the culture secretary Fleur Pellerin. Bourriaud, the former co-director of the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, was appointed in 2011.
In a press statement, the ministry of culture and communication says that Pellerin acknowledges Bourriaud’s achievements, which include setting in motion the official accreditation of Ensba’s art collection under the governmental “Musées de France” scheme.
But the higher education institution needs “a new impetus”, according to the same statement. The next director must collaborate with other art schools, especially in and around Paris, and ensure a greater social mix of students so that “the exceptional education [received at Ensba] is not reserved for a select few”, the ministry says.
The French magazine Le Canard Enchainé, reports that Pellerin has lined up Eric de Chassey, the director of the French Academy in Rome, for the post. De Chassey was unavailable for comment. A spokesman says the ministry “denies all of the allegations in Le Canard Enchainé regarding De Chassey”.
Bourriaud told Agence-France Presse that he was “surprised” by the move as “we are in the middle of a complete overhaul of the school”, with discussions underway about setting up a satellite branch in Rabat in Morocco.