May 1968 and the reform

In May 1968, the École des beaux-arts in Paris became one of the centres of protest. In its studios the “Atelier populaire” was born, printing in series the movement’s silkscreen posters. The students demanded the end of the academic system, of the competitions and of the Prix de Rome.

The government answered with reform. The competition was abolished; the French Academy in Rome was reorganised. Residents were no longer recruited by examination but on dossier and project, before a jury, and the Villa opened to new disciplines: art history, restoration, photography, cinema, writing.

Balthus, director since 1961, had already begun this change. Under his guidance, and then that of his successors, the Villa ceased to be a school and became a residence: a place of work and encounter offered to established creators, for a shorter time.

A shaded walk between tall hedges, a stone bench set aside