Presentation of decorations to Claude Jean, Marie-Christiane de la Conté, Muriel Genthon, Jean d'Haussonville,and Hélène de Montluc

Dear Claude Jean,

For a little over thirty years, you have travelled the world and the regions
in the service of the French language and cultural action. I
would like to pay tribute to a man from the “network”
- as we say in the jargon of France’s external cultural action
-, but also to the Regional Director of Cultural Affairs that you are
which has also found time to devote itself to the creation
romanesque - you who wrote among others a Seventh Hill and a
Pentameron. From Gdansk to Bordeaux, via Damascus, Montreal and
Lisbon, your action at the service of the State and cultural policies has
both exemplary and borderless.

Your career begins in 1966 as a literature instructor
compared to the University of Bordeaux, a teaching
in 1968 at the Evreux Normal School. The following year, you
go to the shores of the Baltic, and you are in charge of the animation
cultural and educational at the Gdansk Polytechnic. This fiber
In 1972 you were appointed Director of the Centre
University of Warsaw, where you are
also responsible for Franco-Polish university cooperation in
humanities and humanities.

This is the beginning of a very good career in the French cultural network in
foreign. The polyglot you are becomes five years later attached
of the French Embassy in the Netherlands: the questions of
schooling in French schools abroad, distribution
programs of French television, relations with the
Alliance Française, as many files that occupy the daily lives of
Agents of our network who have no secrets for you.

Your action is not limited to Europe, since you leave in 1981
for Syria, where you become the cultural, scientific and
vision of the Embassy of France. Among other topics, you
supervise the construction of the new French Cultural Center in Damascus.
You continued in 1985 with Montreal, where you are the assistant of
Secretary General of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie, before
return to the network and to Europe, again as a cultural advisor, to
Lisbon this time. You then put your talent and skills to
the restructuring of our linguistic cooperation and system and
educational in Portugal.

This very rich experience is decisive when you are assigned
1999 in the Ministry of Culture and Communication, to occupy the
Head of Mission to the General Delegation for Language
French. Your handling of questions related to the mastery of the
French and social connection, plurilingualism and learning
foreign languages benefits from your off-center view of the world and
your field experience, and you become the Deputy General Delegate to
French and French languages from 2001 to 2003 - position
which you are involved in, among other files, in the creation of the Agency
National Struggle Against Illiteracy, to that of the observatory of
language practices or the language simplification committee
administrative.

It is the very broad spectrum of your skills that leads you to take
in 2003 the conduct of cultural affairs of the Picardie Region, which
still bear the mark of your great presence on the ground and
your love for heritage and the performing arts. Among many
I would like to highlight your commitment to the Maison de
the Culture of Amiens, for preventive archaeology in view of the
canal Seine-Nord Europe, for the Aga Khan Foundation for
safeguarding and development of the estate and the castle of Chantilly,
or your negotiating skills and your ability to listen in the
partnerships with local authorities in Picardie.
In 2008, you leave Amiens to join the land of Aliénor and
Montaigne, from Montesquieu and Mauriac. Taking the lead of the
Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs of the Aquitaine Region, you
go back to your high school connections
in the beautiful city of Sarlat and your graduate studies in Bordeaux.
The rich heritage of this region, the dynamism of the performing arts
and contemporary creation, the remarkable development of the
public reading, the candidacy of Bordeaux to the label of «capital
European Culture Day” in 2013, all of which have benefited
since your arrival, your unfailing professionalism. Your ability
perspective, moreover, does not only benefit Aquitaine,
since you are also a member of the High Council of Education
and Administrator of the Policy Observatory
Culture of Grenoble.

For all these reasons that make you a great servant of the State and of
French culture, dear Claude Jean, on behalf of the President of the
Republic and by virtue of the powers conferred upon us, we you
Make a knight of the Legion of Honor.

Dear Marie-Christiane de La Conté,

Ten days ago, I inaugurated at Compiègne the cloister of Saint-Corneille,
freshly restored. I had the pleasure of seeing you there and seeing
by myself the happy effects of the policy you lead to the
head of Picardie’s DRAC.
Of the restoration, Eugene Viollet-le-Duc said that the word and the thing
are modern”. You are firmly committed to this
modernity. In your eyes, showcasing our heritage is not
only nourish the «cult of monuments» dear to Aloïs Riegl, maintain
the religion of old stones, it is also to strengthen the attractiveness of
territories. In your eyes, heritage is not frozen, it is open to the
dynamics of society.

This love of heritage, dear Marie-Christiane de La Conté, you in
witness very early, brilliantly integrating the School of Charters and
writing a thesis that is reported to the Ministry of Culture. Since
their birth as a conservative body, under the benevolent tutelage
of the Baron de Gerado, the archivists-palaeographers cultivate discretion
and the taste of studies: you are among those who know how to combine conservation
heritage and its development, in other words knowledge and fairnesse.

Within the Departmental Archives of the Eure, then in charge of
old, notarial and private archives, you engage in the
complete the general file, you participate in the implementation
exhibitions, you are strongly involved in the activity of
cultural associations of the department, you set up courses
heraldry, art history and paleography.

In 1989, you are called to the Departmental Archives of the Seine-
Marine as Chief Curator of Heritage and Director
service assistant. You then coordinate a detailed
all the old archives, while being responsible for the
restorations. You are involved in the study and implementation of
new technologies adapted to conservation. You are then
curator of numerous exhibitions devoted to Richard Coeur de
Lion, on the fifth centenary of the Parliament of Normandy, or
War of 1914 posters. Normandy as a political laboratory,
Normandy as a gateway to Europe and the world through
the experience of the two world wars: you quickly grasp how much
the history of the territories resonates with global history. You
have a passion for archives, these collections where the past of
all – celebrities as well as anonymous – these funds where the
experienced researchers and «Sunday historians», to resume
Philippe Ariès. You are committed to highlighting the work
produced, often in the shadows, by the curators of the archives.

With your knowledge of the territory, you are appointed Conservative
Regional historical monuments to the DRAC of Upper Normandy.
You coordinate in 2001, with the energy that we know you,
the development of an important regional policy plan for the
assets. You are particularly involved in the transfer file
monuments, such as the abbey of Jumièges or the castle of Arques-la-
Battle. Faced with the concerns raised by these transfers, you knew,
dialogue and pedagogy, constantly recalling the
objectives pursued by the State within the framework of the law of decentralization of
2004, namely the valorization and enhancement of these monuments, in
link with the new expectations of audiences and
cultural development of the local authorities concerned.

You also show cold blood and great mastery in
the approach of sensitive files: in the management of long-term projects
breath as in crisis situations, you testify to a great
professionalism. Your management of the safety standards of
cathedrals of Rouen and Evreux, the damage caused by
the burning of the castle of Mesnières and that of the cathedral of Rouen, or
The controversy surrounding the Rouen Jewish Monument still imposes respect.
In the fall of 2008, you were appointed Regional Business Director
Picardie, in this region rich in cathedrals
from Amiens to the Gothic Period, with their slender spire
Laon, from Senlis to Noyon - trace of the Great War in the
memory and in the landscape – so much so that we speak of the “red zone”
to evoke conflict zones in the Somme - but also places
contemporary expression, like the Jules Verne circus in Amiens.
You have been able to bring your rigour and dynamism to your
new functions, of which we know the importance, since their creation in
1977, as arm of the Department’s regional policy. A
through you, I would like to acknowledge the considerable work that has been done
by the regional services of the Ministry of Culture,
Since their creation almost 35 years ago,
in 1977. This is largely due to the continuous and innovative action of these
services and their directions that we owe the great
development of cultural life in the regions, in connection with
local authorities.

In Amiens, you follow the implementation of the Monuments reforms
the coordination of preventive archaeological excavations for the
construction of the Seine-Nord-Europe canal, the creation of
conservation and archaeological studies and territorial services. I
don’t forget that you also coordinated the reopening of the theatre
Compiègne, the reorganization of the Regional Art Fund
organization of the regional conference of the show
the reform of specialized courses. The projects are
and I know that you have led them with constancy and efficiency
and rigour.

Dear Marie-Christiane de La Conté, you embody a fidelity to service
Heritage, its conservation and its development, you
also show fidelity to this ministry and its missions
history. Therefore, dear Marie-Christiane de La Conté, on behalf of
of the President of the Republic, we make you Knight in order
national merit.

Dear Muriel Genthon,

I had already had the opportunity, at the inauguration of the new premises of the
DRAC of Ile-de-France last November, to salute your
regional director of cultural affairs. I know your
human and professional qualities but also personal involvement
that you have always demonstrated in the missions I have desired
trust you. The sense of listening also and this hardly surprises for a
well-informed musician as you are.

But what strikes you in your journey is the constant attachment and
that you have always testified to the Ile-de-France region.
The diversity of its heritage, its international openness, but also the
presence of major cultural institutions make it a region apart: it
therefore needed a strong and convinced personality to face all the
challenges of cultural action in the capital region. I am thinking in particular of
The International Workshop of Greater Paris, an ambitious project
dialogue and creation, an extension of the extraordinary melting pot of ideas
the international consultation on Greater Paris launched at the initiative of the
President of the Republic. Within this reference device, the
architects are a force of proposal and play a decisive role. And I know
all the attention you have paid to this ambition in favour of the best
the quality of life of the people of Ile-de-France, what I call the intelligence
landscape».

This is not surprising: you are indeed a graduate of the Special School
architecture (ESA). You are committed to the service of the State
studies completed by crossing for the first time, in 1976, the doors
of the DRAC of Ile-de-France, as researcher at the General Inventory,
until 1989.

Then you spend ten years running the business
cultural and heritage in Essonne. This department both
urban and rural, which extends from the gates of Paris to the Hurepoix, place of
Cocteau artist residence in Foujita, has no secrets for you.
You have published several books that reveal your love of places and
heritage: environmental heritage, but also heritage
religious, not forgetting the age of the railway and the Republic
conquering, where the «terroirs» open up to wider horizons,
where the territory becomes the political laboratory of the nation, without
forget your monograph on Paul Landowski. From 1992 to 1999,
the Essonne Cultural and Technical Agency, ACT 91,
operator of the department in the cultural field. You then become
Assistant Director for Youth at the Essonne General Council,
Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of Corbeil-Essonnes. The
various positions you have held reflect the confidence that we
place in your skills, but also your very great experience in
public policy management in local and regional authorities. This
experience of the field is a considerable asset, now put
State Policy Service: anticipates well before the time the
recommendations of Jérôme Bouët’s report on the necessary
and deepening partnerships between the State and the
local authorities in cultural policies at local level.

In 2001, you set out to cross the Beauce to become
Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of Orléans, a
historic heritage of prime importance, a city where
have always been pioneers in the field of creation. In 2002,
my predecessor Jean-Jacques Aillagon appeals to your
issues of decentralization of cultural policies; you are appointed
Technical adviser for territorial action, decentralisation
and arts education at his office.

2004 marks your return to the Ile-de-France DRAC, your
“second home” so to speak, where you are called to put
the reorganization of services. Your know-how in the management
teams and in project management lead you to be appointed
Assistant Director. Since last year, you have headed the Directorate
cultural affairs of Ile-de-France, now located in
Offices now including all staff, Rue Le
Peletier. Your knowledge of architecture and territorial action, I it
know, is a valuable asset in the major projects that the State for the
the Ile-de-France region, with the “Grand Paris” in the first place.
I am also aware of your attention to the issue of democratization
in a region marked by contrasts, sometimes even
deep fractures in access to culture.

To lead all these projects, you have to be a virtuoso or a skillful leader
orchestra: you certainly are. Your two-year experience in
as Deputy Director of the Music, Dance and
theatre and shows. But I don’t want to forget your
passion for music. Since 2005, you have been
Associate Professor of Music and Musicology at the UFR
Paris IV-Sorbonne University and I know you “grow your garden”
on this side. When the architect’s drawing meets the musical scope, he
there is only one change in the register: did Goethe not say:
“Architecture is frozen music”?

Dear Muriel Genthon, for your constant commitment to the service of
public action, for your impressive career in many
positions of responsibility in the regions but also in the service of the State, on behalf
of the President of the Republic, we make you Knight in order
national merit.

Dear Jean d'Haussonville,

Romain Gary would not have denied the fact that the diplomat is a figure
literary: He dreams of Europe as one dreams of a masterpiece
artistic,” he says in The Promise of Dawn, which is the quintessence
of culture and harmony, before facing reality and transforming
sometimes in flamboyant figure, sometimes in tragic figure. Your serenity,
your elegance and extreme delicacy make you a diplomat
singular.

Before discussing your professional career before the assembly,
let me tell you how pleased I am to have you here,
in this house which was also yours and which you know well. You
are indeed a diplomat who loves culture and now cultivates this
garden in the beautiful national domain of Chambord.

You were born in Paris, in January 1968 and you attended a
at the Paris Institute of Political Studies before
your military service as an officer in the submarine squadron of the
Mediterranean. Already the call from the sea and the invitation to travel!

When you leave the ENA in 1995, you start your career in
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in charge of defence of tests
French nuclear (1995-97) before joining the French Embassy
at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels
for four years, as First Secretary for Representation
permanent of France. You work in the expert groups
political and military forces working for a Europe of Defence
and strategic doctrine of NATO. From that time on, you
the idea of a powerful Europe.

Back in Paris, from 2001 to 2004, you are chosen in a service
reporting directly to the Prime Minister, the SGCI, (General Secretariat of
Interdepartmental Committee) today, Secretariat for European Affairs,
as head of the European Union’s enlargement sector. You
are then responsible for the preparation of arbitrations rendered on behalf of the
Prime Minister on the French positions for all
negotiations for the accession of the ten new Member States,
the security of maritime transport, and the
modernization of judicial systems to bring
nuclear power plants in the countries of Eastern Europe. More than
European integration is already for you a
great political idea and shared ambition.

In 2004, you are called by my predecessor Renaud Donnedieu de
Vabres to join his practice. You coordinate the business
European and international and in three years, you organize no less
40 trips by the Minister abroad. Under your direct authority,
are organized the «Meetings for Europe of Culture» which
In May 2005, more than 600 artists, intellectuals and ministers gathered
in the presence of the President of the
President of the European Commission and of the President of the Council
european.

Under your auspices is taking place a great moment of the Europe of culture,
as the new entrants breath the taste of freedom
found and the happiness of the first steps. From this European cenacle, you
are both the inventor and the director, with extreme delicacy
and the prejudices known to you. You thus lie those who
caricature diplomats, those who betray everything except their
emotions», as Victor Hugo said: it is on the contrary the
fidelity to the service of the State and to the European values that you
characterizes, dear Jean d'Haussonville.

In 2007, your diplomatic career took you overseas, where you
practice your talents as a cultural advisor to the Ambassador of
France in Berlin, while being responsible for schools
in Germany and university cooperation. Once again,
the European vocation, both our cooperation with Germany, is
key to our economic and trade relations. You
reorganize in two years the network of French Cultural Institutes in one
the only institution under the Ambassador, the French Institute
from Germany, again as a pioneer and pioneer. From Berlin
in Munich, from Dresden to Stuttgart, you are helping to strengthen identity and
presence of our language and culture in Germany. Among your
legacy, I must mention the Paris-Berlin operation, in the
in the field of visual arts, looking at two stages in particular
with the support of gallery owners. For this third edition, which I have
had the pleasure to inaugurate a few days ago, so it’s about thirty
exhibitions that are offered during two weekends of
in Berlin and then in Paris.

At the end of 2009, you were appointed General Manager of the largest park
closed forest of Europe, the National Domain of Chambord. The gentleman
farmer and talented cultural administrator deploys his charm and his
know-how. I have no doubt that your enlightened administration will know
the 730,000 visitors who visit the castle and the 2 million
tourists who enjoy the park. Chambord is a must on the
route des châteaux de la Loire; it is also a «place of memory», patinated
by time, nourished by the colorful characters who have it
from François I to the Comte de Chambord, through the
Marshal of Saxony. Since your installation, you have watched over
the balance between the castle and the forest, nature and culture,
the development of the nearby territory, in conjunction with local elected officials, and the
Chambord’s image in the world. Inscribed in the
World Heritage of humanity, the domain mobilizes all your
attention to the service of this «landscape intelligence» that I call
my best wishes in all the construction or renovation projects carried out
by my ministry.

I would not want to forget your ambitious cultural policy that mixes
contemporary art and live performance, with the same quality requirement.
For example, I know that you will be proposing an open-air opera on the 11th
next 12 June: I see here the sign of your desire to transmit the
culture and give our heritage a sparkling and artistic touch.
I know that like Stendhal, your life has been “through operas”: I
wishes it to be so in Chambord, in this silent and
Majestic that is the best decor you can find.

Dear Jean d'Haussonville, on behalf of the President of the Republic, we
Knighted you in the National Order of Merit.

Dear Hélène de Montluc,

In the fields of culture, the defence of intellectual property
is clearly an essential challenge for both creators and
diversity of creation. The defense of its principles can count on
the exemplary commitment of some servants of the State, which you make
party.

Since you joined the State Secretariat for Culture in charge of
Legal Affairs at the Direction des Musées de France
served this cause. In 1982, the Delegation for Fine Arts
your collaboration by entrusting you with the responsibility of the
artistic professionals, a sector guaranteeing legal issues,
tax, social and statutory provisions concerning artists and craftsmen.
Then you are appointed Chargé de Mission to the Delegate for the Arts
plastics in 1989, and very quickly, you are retained thanks to your
skills noted, to hold the position of Head of Office
legislation on intellectual property and professions
artistic.

It is at the head of this service, from 1989 to 2010, that your action was
key. In the preparation and implementation of the texts
legislative and regulatory changes, you have taken into account
new uses, you have ensured that the
creator remains at the heart of the broadcast device, you have protected the
principles of his remuneration. Under your responsibility and with your
expertise, a large number of legislative texts have been developed these
to prevent the looting of works on the Internet.

Dear Hélène de Montluc, you have thus contributed to the development and
Parliamentary review of the Copyright Act of 1 August 2006
rights. You also represented the Minister of
Culture with the Ministry of Industry during the development and voting of
the law of 29 October 2007 against counterfeiting. Finally, you played a
important role in the development of the Broadcasting and
protection of creation on the internet. On all fronts, you defend
then in international organizations the French positions in
Improving the legal framework for copyright and rights
neighbours – subjects of which I fully appreciate the major importance.

Thanks to your legal and administrative experience, your
areas of legislation and litigation, you have always known
to propose, for sometimes difficult cases, balanced solutions, in
with practice. You have become a unanimous reference
recognized for defending and modernizing copyright, both in
national level and multilateral fora.

Dear Hélène de Montluc, I am proud today to pay tribute to
your constant and precious commitment to the service of the world of
creation. On behalf of the French Republic, we make you
Commander in the Order of Arts and Letters.