Rima Abdul Malak, Minister of Culture, has appointed Christelle Creff as head of the Department of Museums of France of the Directorate-General for Heritage and Architecture from 1er october 2022.
Within the Directorate-General for Heritage and Architecture headed by Jean-François Hebert, the French Museum Service is responsible for the supervision of national museums under the Ministry of Culture, runs with the Regional Directorates for Cultural Affairs (DRAC) the network of 1,200 museums that have received the name “Musée de France” and contribute to the enrichment of public collections.
Archivist-paleographer, holder of a DEA in history, Christelle Creff is a graduate of the École nationale supérieure des sciences de l'information et des bibliothèques (Lyon) and general curator of libraries. His professional career was divided between libraries (National Library of France, University Library of the Littoral, Municipal Library of Colmar), the French cultural network abroad (French Institute of Budapest, Embassy of France in Luxembourg) and the DRAC network. Within the decentralized departments of the ministry, she successively held the positions of advisor for books and reading then as deputy regional director at DRAC Alsace, regional director of cultural affairs of Burgundy then, since 2018, as regional director of cultural affairs for the Grand Est region.
It is in this context that Christelle Creff has committed herself to museums, following major renovation and extension operations (Musée des beaux-arts de Dijon, Pôle muséal de Troyes, Musée lorrain, Musée des beaux-arts de Reims, which will start construction, Musée de l'Ardenne as part of the Cité des arts de la marionnette in Charleville-Mézières, Electropolis in Mulhouse). Member of the High Council of Museums of France since 2020, she has been particularly attentive to the scientific monitoring of institutions, involving communities in a reflection on the modes of governance, supporting educational activities and innovative services, particularly in the Greater East, which has 121 museums in France.
Building on her experience of cultural policies, both rooted in the territories and open to the international, Christelle Creff will mobilize the museums of France, national and territorial, to meet the major challenges of the museum sector in the coming years, in a context of ecological transition and profound digital developments. Several large-scale projects must be supported in terms of winning back audiences and renewing the visiting experience as well as managing and enhancing collections. The new head of the French Museum Service will also have to investigate the issues related to the circulation of works and requests for restitution of cultural property.
Christelle Creff succeeds Anne-Solène Rolland, appointed Director of Heritage and Collections at the Quai Branly Museum - Jacques Chirac, effective May 9, 2022. The Minister of Culture pays tribute to Anne-Solène Rolland’s resolute action and energy during her three years in office. She also wishes to salute the full commitment of Franck Isaia, Assistant Director of Museum Policy at the Ministry of Culture, who acted as Head of the Museums Department of France for four months.