Budget cuts spark stern response from France’s Académie des beaux-arts

France’s Académie des beaux-arts has added its voice to growing protests against budget reductions that threaten to cripple the culture sector.

The budget cuts, adopted last Thursday, will axe €150 million in the Ministry of Culture’s funding leaving museums, theatres, and festivals reeling. And it’s not just the central government making cuts – local councils have also been stripped of €2.2 billion in state subsidies, prompting them to slash their own arts funding by as much as 70%.

In response, the fine arts academy – an institution founded by Louis XIV in 1648 – released a stern statement decrying the cuts, warning of the “violent unilateral decisions” made by both the government and local councils. “One euro given to a festival, a theatre or a museum generates ten euros in income for hospitality, transport, etc.,” the academy said, highlighting the long-term economic benefits of investing in culture.

Budget deficit

Under the new budget, cultural programmes are being frozen without warning, regional theatres are facing closure, and reports predict up to 1,500 job losses across the sector. 

The move comes as part of the government’s broader austerity measures, led by Prime Minister François Bayrou, who’s under pressure to slash the country’s budget deficit. 

The Académie des beaux-arts argues that the impact on the arts will be far-reaching, threatening not just jobs but also “freedom of research and creation, necessary to our democracy”.

But the fallout doesn’t stop there. The sector has already felt the effects of austerity: last week, teachers were shocked to discover that a well-established cultural day trip programme had been abruptly frozen. The academy says that local politicians have added insult to injury with verbal attacks on artists and the arts community, further stoking tensions.

The Académie des beaux-arts is far from the only voice protesting the cuts, with the movement “Debout pour la culture” (“Stand up for culture”) taking over arts venues across the country last week. Some of the institutions that joined in on the protests included La Passarelle arts centre in Saint-Brieuc, Maison de la culture de Grenoble (MC2) in Grenoble, and the Ecosocialist Left group.

The protests have garnered support from some of France’s biggest names in arts and entertainment, including rapper JoeyStarr, singer Emily Loizeau, and environmentalist Yann Arthus-Bertrand, all of whom signed a petition against the cuts that has been backed by more than 40,000 people. 

Actor Juliette Binoche, who’s set to head the jury at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, has also thrown her support behind the cause.

The 40,000 plus signatories “denounce the idea that by sacrificing public services, including art and culture, the State is making a dangerous calculation, in the name of a context of budgetary austerity, which should not obscure the threats weighing on our democracy.”