le quatorze juillet

Celebrating Bastille Day means acknowledging the overthrow of tyrannical monarchies by The People. The storming of the Bastille prison by French citizens on July 14, 1789 was - and continues to be -- a rallying point for the nation around democracy and the rights of the common man. What was the effect of le quatorze juillet on the French tradition of government arts support?

In his book “The Politics of Cultural Policy in France,” Kim Eling cites the year 1635, the year that Cardinal Richelieu, under Louis XIII, created the Académie Francaise as guardian of the “official” conception of art. Members of the Académie held their first “official” exhibition in 1667, and later these became “salons” where official art was displayed. In 1680, the Comédie-Française was established under Louis IV as an “official” theatre company with federal support, a status it has in some ways preserved to this day. After the French revolution, the roles of government patronage and censorship were actually strengthened. Academic artists were recognized and encouraged by public commissions, and the government became more involved in running individual cultural institutions. State support for the arts was established during this period, and the issues of control and appropriateness have not faded over time.

Today, the cultural sector in France is heavily dependent on a system of government programs and agencies operating at the federal, regional and local levels. Although the French revolution radically changed the form of government - from monarchy to democracy - the expectations and responsibilities regarding state arts sponsorship have in many ways remained intact. The levels of arts support may have dropped dramatically in recent years, but the idea of a state cultural support system itself seems permanently ingrained in the fabric of French society.