The French Ministry of Culture

Paris: Cinedis, 1959. Archive of press material compiled by Cinedis, a French press and film agency, concerning the formation and founding members of the Ministere de la Culture (Ministry of Culture) of France.

The Ministry of Culture was created by Charles de Gaulle in 1959 and the first Minister was writer Andre Malraux, whose responsibilities included the democratizing of access to culture (museums, monuments), and elevating postwar France. He created several cultural centers throughout France, actively sponsored the arts (television, film, visual, dance, literary, etc.), but his tastes, although wide-ranging, remained conservative. During the early years of the Ministry, M. Jacques Jaujard was its general secretary, and he was instrumental in coordinating various organizations like Arts and Humanities, National Theaters, Monuments, Cinema, Tourist propaganda, popular Education. Jaujard eventually left eh Ministry in 1967, and Malraux left shortly after upon de Gaulle's final term as President. The Ministry is still in operation to this day, keeping the artistic and culture heritage of France and making the countries museums and cultural centers widely accessible.

An engrossing collection regarding a much advertised birth of one of France's finest organizations, the archive consists of thirty single sheets of Cinedis parchment with various stapled French newspaper articles pertaining to Malraux, Jaujard and the Ministry. Nearly all sheets bear annotations in manuscript ink noting the date of the article (1959 throughout, mostly early in the year), and a few loose newspapers and clippings are included. Near Fine overall.

[Book #140594]