Dunkerque Mayor Seeks Nationalization of Art School
The mayor of Dunkerque, Patrice Vergriete, is calling for the nationalization of the École supérieure d'art (ESA) Dunkerque-Tourcoing, citing the city's inability to continue its annual subsidy of €604,000 due to a 7% reduction in operating revenue from the 2026 finance law. The school, created in 2011 from the merger of the École régionale supérieure d'expression plastique de Tourcoing and the École régionale des beaux-arts de Dunkerque, faces a 40% cut in its municipal subsidy to €350,000 in 2026, partially compensated by a €250,000 state contribution. However, Vergriete warns that the city may fully withdraw funding from 2027 onward, urging the Ministry of Culture to take exclusive responsibility. This situation echoes the closure of the École supérieure d'art de Valenciennes in June 2025.
Key facts
- Mayor Patrice Vergriete of Dunkerque seeks nationalization of ESA Dunkerque-Tourcoing.
- The school receives an annual €604,000 subsidy from the city for 15 years.
- The 2026 finance law cut the city's operating revenue by 7%.
- The municipal subsidy will drop to €350,000 in 2026, a 40% reduction.
- The state compensates with €250,000 in 2026.
- The city may fully withdraw funding from 2027.
- The school was formed in 2011 from two regional art schools.
- The École supérieure d'art de Valenciennes closed in June 2025.
Entities
Institutions
- ESA Dunkerque-Tourcoing
- École régionale supérieure d'expression plastique de Tourcoing
- École régionale des beaux-arts de Dunkerque
- Ministry of Culture
- École supérieure d'art de Valenciennes
- Ville de Dunkerque
Locations
- Dunkerque
- France
- Tourcoing
- Valenciennes