House of the Culture

The Maisons of the Culture are cultural equipment initiated by André Malraux, as Ministre for the cultural Affairs.

History

The term appears in the years 1930, in the mouth of André Malraux and Gaetan Picon, militants of the Ligue of the intellectuals against Fascism.

Appointed Minister for the cultural Affairs in 1958, Malraux starts again this concept, announcing that one by department should be born before 3 years. It makes of them the angular stone of its policy, “modern cathedrals”, to make effective the objective “to make available to all the chiefs from works from Humanity” mentioned in the decree from créaton from the Ministry for the cultural Affairs.

First is inaugurated in 1961, in Le Havre. But in 10 years, only seven are indeed open.

The concept

The concept of the House of the Culture fits at the same time in the engagement of a policy of cultural Décentralisation, parteillement begun under the Popular front and the Fourth republic, and in the thought malrucian of the esthetic Choc. The idea is to create through France, of the reception facilities for the diffusion on all the territory, and either only in Paris, of the erudite culture, near the largest audience.

Contrary to the other already conceived structures, the houses of the Culture are not specialized, they must shelter the stage performances as well, as ballets, or exposures of Article Fidèle to the design of Malraux, they exclude all médiaton cultural privileging the direct confronattion with works.

The project is strongly criticized. Initially, the structures are established without real discussions with the local government agencies, which doiventpourtant to cofinance for half the équipepemnt. Moreover, the first, for a fast opening, take seat in projects which are not conceived originally for the versatility. Thus, the house of the Culture of Le Havre opens in a museum, that of Caen in a theater, that of Bourges and Thono in palates of the congresses, and the Théâtre of the Parisian east, in a cinema.

So 3 cities benefit from the dispute of 1968 to take again possession of the houses of the Culture, in Caen, Firminy and Thonon.

Moreover, one reproaches the houses Culture, as with the whole of the policy malrucian, his élitiste design of Article Ainsi the Call of Villeurbanne, bringing together directors of houses of the culture and theaters public, preaches a committed and politiqé theater, with a true policy of mediation.

Heritage

In 1991, the Houses of the Culture were gathered with the Centres of cultural activity(AP) and the Development centres cultural within the label National scene, by Bernard Faivre d'Arcier, thus continuing the precepts of multidisciplinarity, decentralization and local action. Thus, by the permanence of this will of cultural versatility and by the opening of structures “specialized” with other arts, Augustin Girard affirms that the House of the Culture, a long time considered as a failure, is finally a success, the concept having exceeded the original places.

The implication of the local government agencies also allowed an awakening of the municipal officials local of the importance of a local cultural policy, initiating the muicipalisation of the culture and the decentralization, which take their rise in the years 1970.

Today, only some establishments preserved the title of “House of the culture”, as with Amiens, Grenoble, Bobigny and Nevers.

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