Marseille Mayor Benoît Payan Defends Record Culture Budget Amid Cuts Elsewhere

In an interview with Le Journal des Arts, Marseille Mayor Benoît Payan (PS) defends the city's record culture budget of €111 million for 2025, a 25.5% increase from 2024, making Marseille the only major French city to maintain cultural funding. Payan, who keeps culture as a personal portfolio, argues that culture is not an accessory but a tool against social fracture and violence. He cites free access to permanent museum collections for all, summer cultural outreach in neighborhoods (projections, art history, workshops), and the upcoming delivery of a major library in the poorest 3rd arrondissement. Payan criticizes the state, region, department, and métropole for reducing their cultural funding. He plans to turn to corporate sponsorship for additional funds, despite cultural sector reservations, and announces the renovation of the Opéra de Marseille without commercial naming, supported by anonymous patrons. The opera's governance will shift to a métropolitain model, with the métropole taking over as a long-term investor. Payan also mentions an exhibition on Louis Finson and Caravaggio at the Musée des beaux-arts in late 2027. He reflects on Marseille's failure to capitalize on its 2013 European Capital of Culture year, but notes the city now attracts 5 million tourists and its museums are thriving.