Digital Editions
Newsletters
Subscribe
Digital Editions
Newsletters
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Appointments & departures
news

Musée des Arts Décoratifs director Christine Macel leaves for advisory role amid allegations of dysfunction at the museum

Two years after her appointment, the star curator described her early exit from the Paris museum as “a relief”

Vincent Noce
11 October 2024
Share
Christine Macel, the former director of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris © Les Arts Décoratifs 2022. Photo: Guillaume Ombreux

Christine Macel, the former director of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris © Les Arts Décoratifs 2022. Photo: Guillaume Ombreux

French star curator Christine Macel is leaving her job as director of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris against the backdrop of a deep crisis at the institution.

Two years after her appointment, Macel tells The Art Newspaper she has “happily accepted a proposal by the museum’s chairman, Johannes Huth, to become his scientific and artistic adviser” from 15 October until the end of her contract in one year. “It was a relief,” she says, “as the situation had become untenable in what an audit has described as a ‘crisis of governance and organisation’ at the museum.”

The museum confirmed Macel’s move, but declined to comment on the motives for the change of leadership. According to the Le Journal des Arts, the decision followed a warning from a medical expert about social and psychological risks after complaints by some staff members and three departures. The article pointed out that Macel, who worked for 22 years at the Centre Pompidou and was the curator of the 2017 Venice Biennale, is a specialist in contemporary art, rather than in classical arts—she replies that her programme of exhibitions, including shows on the birth of department stores and the sculptor Henry Cros, “speaks for itself”.

Report

The path to other dimensions: Christine Macel’s Viva Arte Viva at the Venice Biennale

By Ben Luke

According to former and present curators, the crisis at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs is more deeply rooted, most notably in the museum’s management structure. Under the authority of the board and its chairman, it has a double-headed leadership, with a “director” (Macel) and a “director-general”, Sylvie Corréard, both of whom are known for their strong characters and ambitions.

In 2022, Macel’s predecessor Olivier Gabet, now head of the decorative arts department of the Musée du Louvre, whose relationship with Corréard was also notoriously difficult, did not get his contract renewed. And in 2013, the former culture minister Jean-Jacques Aillagon resigned from the chairmanship of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs after only six months. He cited “personal reasons” at the time, but in private admitted that he was aware of the structural dysfunctions of a museum that also has to compete against the rich collections of the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay.

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs is very organisationally complex, even compared to other large institutions. It includes a museum in Paris housing Moïse de Camondo’s collection, a library and two schools. The museum is in charge of a public collection, located in a national monument (a wing of the Palais du Louvre) and its staff is paid by the state. But it is managed by an independent association and its operating budget relies entirely on commercial incomes and private funds. This situation has led to more exhibitions on fashion, design and luxury goods supported by such high-end brand names as Dior, Cartier or Louis Vuitton, creating a roller-coaster effect on attendance, which last year dropped to around 600,000 visitors, down from the record tally of around 900,000 entries in 2022.

Appointments & departuresMuseums & HeritageMusee des Arts DecoratifsParis
Share
Subscribe to The Art Newspaper’s digital newsletter for your daily digest of essential news, views and analysis from the international art world delivered directly to your inbox.
Newsletter sign-up
Information
About
Contact
Cookie policy
Data protection
Privacy policy
Frequently Asked Questions
Subscription T&Cs
Terms and conditions
Advertise
Sister Papers
Sponsorship policy
Follow us
Instagram
Bluesky
LinkedIn
Facebook
TikTok
YouTube
© The Art Newspaper

Related content

Appointmentsnews
28 July 2021

French culture ministry names 39-year-old Xavier Rey director of Centre Pompidou’s national museum of modern art

Current director of Marseille museums will take up coveted post under newly appointed Pompidou president Laurent Le Bon on 1 October

Gareth Harris
Appointments & departuresnews
6 September 2022

In surprise move, contemporary art specialist Christine Macel takes the reins at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris

Previously chief curator at Centre Pompidou since 2000, she also organised the French Pavilion at the 2013 Venice Biennale

Gareth Harris
Technologynews
22 February 2019

Paris digital art venue Atelier des Lumières is a hit, and expanding abroad

French museums operator Culturespaces has launched a space in South Korea and is planning another in Bordeaux in 2020

Anna Sansom