Château d'Aubenas Centre d'Art Future Uncertain After Mayor Cancels Director Recruitment
The future of the contemporary art centre at Château d'Aubenas in Ardèche, France, is now in jeopardy following the election of new mayor Jean-Romain Ribeyre. In February 2026, the team at the Château, led by then-mayor Jean-Yves Meyer (DVD), began the search for a new artistic director after Victor Secretan left in November 2025. Although Ribeyre initially supported the recruitment process and shortlisted six candidates from 48 applicants for interviews in late August, he later canceled the hiring and slashed the 2027 budget by two-thirds, citing diminished state funding. The Drac Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes has indicated it will not renew its subsidy. Meetings to discuss the Château's future, including staff contracts and public space allocation, have commenced.
Key facts
- New mayor Jean-Romain Ribeyre cancelled the recruitment of a new artistic director for the Château d'Aubenas on 24 August 2026
- The 2027 budget will be cut by two-thirds, not half as initially announced, due to reduced state allocations and higher municipal spending
- The Drac Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes warned it would not renew its subsidy
- In 2025, the Château's operating budget was €1.16 million, with €800,000 from the city, €70,000 from the Ardèche department, €40,000 from the region, €55,000 from the Drac, and €194,000 from commercial revenues
- 48 applications were received for the director position; six were selected for interviews in late August
- The region and Drac declined to participate in the selection process
- Exhibitions from 17 October to 7 March 2017 will mark the end of a chapter
- Nine of eleven staff contracts are under review; the mayor reportedly offered reassurance
Entities
Artists
- Jean-Yves Meyer
- Victor Secretan
- Jean-Romain Ribeyre
- Benoît Perrusset
- Jean-Denis Frater
- Christine Coste
Institutions
- Château d'Aubenas
- Drac Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
- Le Journal des Arts
- Parti Socialiste
- Divers droite
Locations
- Aubenas
- Ardèche
- Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
- France