Nicolas Bourriaud abruptly dismissed as director of École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris

On Wednesday 1 July, French Minister of Culture Fleur Pellerin fired Nicolas Bourriaud from his role as director of the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, a position he had held since 2011. The decision followed a 45-minute meeting, with Pellerin citing a broader pedagogical initiative as justification. Bourriaud publicly contested the move on Facebook, stating that no factual arguments were presented during the discussion. Controversy erupted when the satirical weekly Canard Enchaîné alleged nepotism, claiming the dismissal was orchestrated to install Eric de Chassey, director of the Villa Medicis in Rome, as Bourriaud's replacement. According to the publication, unnamed sources linked the decision to French actress Julie Gayet, companion of President François Hollande, who is a friend of Anne Consigny, de Chassey's wife. Le Figaro reported the initial news, while Canard Enchaîné's claims lacked concrete evidence but stirred public debate over political influence in cultural appointments.