Yves Robert on Leading Villa Arson and Art School Reform

Yves Robert, director of Villa Arson in Nice, discusses his career in art school leadership and the reform of French higher arts education. He played a key role in planning Lyon's new art school, which opened in March 2007, working with architect William Vassal to convert heritage buildings around a covered courtyard. Robert supported the reform that introduced master's degrees and required written theses, arguing it forced schools to define their practices more clearly. At Lyon, he implemented weekly Wednesday lectures by artists and critics, recorded for library access. After 11 years, he left Lyon for Villa Arson, a unique institution combining an art school, art center, and media library with artist residencies. He aims to integrate these functions rather than keep them separate. Robert insists schools must remain sites of uncertainty and constant evolution, not certitude.