In a post pon LinkedIn Guillaume Cerutti, president of the Pinault Collection, is raising questions about the place of museums and opportunities for European Union funding.
The European Commission has announced AgoraEU, its future flagship programme 2028-2034 for culture, media and civil society. Strengthening international cultural partnerships and exchanges is among the programme's main objectives.
In this context, Cerutti believes that collaborations between museums at the European level should be encouraged. They are already active and substantial when it comes to temporary exhibitions, through loans of works and joint acquisition of works by museums from different countries in Europe. The few well known examples are often the result of particular circumstances rather than the outcome of a shared strategic intent by the museums concerned.
According to Cerutti, the European Union, by encouraging such collaborative initiatives through additional financial support (for example, covering one-third or one-quarter of the purchase price), should act as a catalyst.
Guillaume Cerutti: "I submit this proposal to the Commissioner and the Director-General in charge of cultural affairs in Brussels, Glenn Micaleff and Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen. A fund of 50 million Euro over this period, with clear application criteria, would send a strong and positive signal to museums and help fund ambitious acquisitions of European scale."
Main Image: Guillaume Cerutti