Leadership Changes at Major French Museums and Cultural Institutions

Significant leadership transitions are occurring across major French cultural institutions following the resignation of the Louvre Museum's president. Laurence des Cars, who has been assigned a new cultural mission by President Emmanuel Macron, is being replaced by Christophe Leribault, an art historian and heritage curator born in 1963. Leribault previously served as president of the Palace of Versailles and has held directorial roles at the Petit Palais and Musée d'Orsay from 2021 to 2024. Concurrently, Annick Lemoine, born in 1969 and currently director of the Petit Palais, has been appointed to lead the public institution overseeing the Musée d'Orsay and Musée de l'Orangerie, effective March 19. In another key appointment, Catherine Pégard, born in 1954 and former president of the Palace of Versailles from 2011 to 2022, has taken over as head of the Ministry of Culture, succeeding Rachida Dati. Pégard had been serving as cultural advisor to the French president since September 2025. These changes have created vacancies at the Petit Palais and the Palace of Versailles, indicating that further appointments in the cultural sector are anticipated. The article, published on April 1, 2026, by L'ŒIL, frames these developments as part of an ongoing reshuffling of leadership positions within France's prominent museums and cultural bodies.