Paris's École des Beaux-Arts Faces Threat from Forced Merger with Architecture School

A petition from professors at the École nationale des beaux-arts de Paris (ENSBA) opposes a government-led plan to merge it with the École d'architecture Paris-Malaquais (ESA). In July 2024, Culture Minister Rachida Dati tasked Laurent Dumas, president of ENSBA's board, and Pierre-Paul Zalio, an ESA board member, with creating a unified 'art and architecture campus'. Since May 2024, meetings at the ministry have accelerated, proposing to relocate collections, reform pedagogy, and move workshops to the suburbs, which critics call a dismantling. ENSBA, founded in 1816 and based at 14 rue Bonaparte in Paris, France, is a historic institution with a premier collection of paintings, sculptures, and drawings. Its Palais des études, built by Félix Duban between 1834 and 1839, requires 100 million euros in soil consolidation work, raising concerns amid budget cuts. The forced merger jeopardizes ENSBA's workshop-based model, which includes diverse students, a preparatory class 'Via Ferrata', and public courses 'Naba'. Protesters argue the plan lacks consultation with the school's community, contradicting Dati's recommendation to involve both institutions. They demand state commitment to preserve the site, keep collections accessible, and ensure transparent discussions with teachers and students for a renovation project that strengthens ENSBA's unique heritage.