On the proposal of Frédéric Mitterrand, Minister of Culture and Communication, the President of the Republic appointed Jean-François Hebert President of the Fontainebleau public establishment. At the same time, the Minister instructed Jean-François Hebert to implement the French history museum project, the creation of which was announced by the President of the Republic.
Master Adviser at the Court of Auditors, Secretary-General for the Administration of the Ministry of Defence from 1997 to 2002 and President of the Cité des sciences et de l'industrie from 2002 to 2007, Jean-François Hebert was, until last June, Director of the office of Christine Albanel, Minister of Culture and Communication.
By decree of the President of the Republic of 21 September, he was appointed president of the public establishment of Fontainebleau castle.
After the Louvre, Versailles and the Musée d'Orsay, and before the Picasso Museum, the Château de Fontainebleau, hitherto a service of national competence attached to the Direction des Musées de France, was transformed into a public establishment from 1 Januaryer by decree of 11 March 2009. This new status, which is part of the policy of modernization of the structures of the Ministry of Culture and Communication, aims to promote the influence and development of one of the most beautiful cultural sites of the island of France.
Jean-François Hebert was also entrusted with the responsibility of implementing the project of creation of the museum of history of France by Frédéric Mitterrand.
In Nîmes, on January 13, Nicolas Sarkozy announced his decision to create a museum of French history that will be both a museum presenting the great sequences of our history, a centre for the exploitation of research combining history with other disciplines and a head of network for all institutions whose collections and programming tend to the knowledge of a person, territory or historical period.
Jean-François Hebert will notably be responsible for developing the scientific and cultural project of this «Maison de l'histoire de France» according to the formula suggested by Hervé Lemoine in his report of April 2008, based on a scientific council.
The objective is to conceive an institution that will carry an irreproachable discourse while at the forefront of modernity in terms of museography and reception of the public.
He will also have to deepen the avenues opened by the report of Jean-Pierre Rioux on the various sites likely to receive the new institution so that the minister can quickly propose a final choice to the President of the Republic.
- Download the mission letter below (PDF format)
Mission letter