Enfilade

As reported at ArtInfo (2 September 2011) . . .

Jean-Jacques Aillagon, Photo from his blog (click to visit)

Jean-Jacques Aillagon, the Versailles director who introduced contemporary art into the sanctum of the château, will leave his post on September 30. Faced with mandatory retirement as he turns 65, he wrote in a letter to the palace’s staff that “I will depart our establishment with the regret of leaving you.” Aillagon had hoped that a special dispensation would allow him to serve at least through the end of his current appointment in 2013. But Wednesday French president Nicolas Sarkozy appointed 57-year-old journalist Catherine Pégard to replace him as head of Versailles. . . .

The full article is available here»

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Whereas Aillagon was seen by some as provocative for his inclusion of work by Jeff Koons and Takashi Murakami at Versailles, Sarkozy’s new pick brings its own controversy. As reported at Art Media Agency (30 August 2011) . . .

Versailles (Wikimedia Commons)

The French newspaper Libération has announced today the appointment of Catherine Pégard as President of Versailles. . . . The art world is sad to see the former director retire, who was shocked to see that Catherine Pégard would replace him. She has no university titles, experience or particular predispositions in order to direct such a prestigious museum as the Château de Versailles. She has worked as a political journalist, mostly at the Point, and more importantly, was nominated counsellor to the French president in 2007. Since 2008, she was in charge of his political entourage. . . .

The full AMA article is available here»