Stéphane Laurent

Why a Culture of Design in France Never Took Off

At the Centre Georges Pompidou, the main French contemporary art center and museum located in Paris, one of the last outstanding exhibitions related to design was devoted to Patrick Jouin, a contemporary French designer. Everyone feels free to express their mood and their opinion about such exhibitions, and they usually enjoy doing so, dropping a comment on a specific book near the exit. Although using these comments in an article of this sort might seem inappropriate, my experience and viewing distance as a design historian allows me to examine an event of this type to deal with the question of design culture in France. Here, “Design Versus Design” and “Tiffany” were recently displayed at the Grand Palais and at the Musee du Luxembourg, respectively—the most recent significant shows on design in Paris. More widely, these exhibits offer an opportunity to practice a critical analysis of the situation in France—resulting in both a negative assessment, as well as an understanding of some of the reasons for significant delays vis-a-vis other countries (especially from Northern Europe) and for some of the malfunctions in the cultural dissemination of design in France.