ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

France's Millennium Celebrations Face Political and Institutional Turmoil

cultural-heritage · 2026-04-23

Jean-Jacques Aillagon, president of Mission 2000, announced a twenty-month program for the turn of the millennium, spanning autumn 1999 to spring 2001 across a network of about one hundred sites. The central site would feature an architectural exquisite corpse by one French architect and two architects from different cultures, supporting the theme 'France, Europe, the World, a land for all people.' As these contemporary art-focused events seek funding, far-right attacks on contemporary art have resurfaced, and the threat of merging the Délégation aux Arts Plastiques (DAP) with the Direction des Musées de France (DMF) looms again.

Key facts

  • Jean-Jacques Aillagon was president of Mission 2000.
  • The program runs twenty months from autumn 1999 to spring 2001.
  • About one hundred sites are networked for the celebrations.
  • The central site project involves an architectural exquisite corpse by three architects from different cultures.
  • The theme is 'France, Europe, the World, a land for all people.'
  • Funding is still being sought for the events.
  • Far-right attacks against contemporary art have intensified.
  • The merger of DAP and DMF is a renewed threat.

Entities

Institutions

  • Mission 2000
  • Délégation aux Arts Plastiques (DAP)
  • Direction des Musées de France (DMF)

Locations

  • France
  • Europe

Sources