Villa Albertine announces 2024 season: Expansion of signature Oui Design! initiative, launch of second annual bookazine, and return of nationwide literature and residency programs
Author Makenzy Orcel, winner of the 2023 US Goncourt Prize Selection, with two of the student jury members at Villa Albertine’s headquarters in New York City © Argenis Apolonario
“Night of Ideas” philosophy marathon returns to 20 US cities February 23 – March 3.
New York, January 4, 2023 — Villa Albertine, a cultural institution from the French Embassy with headquarters in New York City and regional offices in 9 US cities, today announced the highlights of its nationwide 2024 season. Presenting new initiatives and signature annual programs, the season opens a variety of pathways for cultural exchange and connection between the US and the French-speaking world.
Launched in 2021 under the leadership of Gaëtan Bruel, and currently led by acting Director Judith Roze, Villa Albertine anticipates the arrival of its next Director and Cultural Counselor of France in the US, Mohamed Bouabdallah. He will take office in New York City next month, and a dedicated announcement will be shared upon his arrival.
The 2024 programming spans Villa Albertine’s four institutional pillars:
Nationwide public events
Villa Albertine’s signature Night of Ideas will take place from February 23 to March 3 across 20 US cities, inviting thought leaders, activists, performers, authors, and academics to engage the public in late-night discussions addressing major global issues. This year’s unifying theme, “Outside the Lines,” centers urban life and development, raising questions about the impact of climate change, new technologies, gentrification, and social and cultural activism. Night of Ideas 2024 is made possible by leadership support from the Judy & Peter Blum Kovler Foundation. Visit nightofideas.org for the latest dates and programming details.
In New York City, Villa Albertine will host a new conversation series that tackles how museums, historic buildings, and archaeological sites can increase their resilience in the face of the urgent challenges to cultural heritage preservation—from over-tourism to climate change and political instability. The series, called “Heritage Speaks,” is organized in partnership with the World Monuments Fund.
Between February and May Villa Albertine will further organize six national tours for French and Francophone authors, including International Booker Prize winning David Diop, bestselling author and former Villa Albertine resident Marie Darrieussecq, and Goncourt Prize for a first novel winner Jakuta Alikavazovic.
Exploratory, bespoke artist residencies
Throughout 2024, a cohort of 50 international creatives—poets, historians, video artists, musicians, a chef, and more—will undertake projects across the US for Villa Albertine’s annual artist residency program. Reinventing the model for residencies, the program offers bespoke experiences for global creators, thinkers, and cultural professionals to engage in creative exploration, in order to facilitate cross-cultural learning and exchange. Applications are currently open for the 2025 residency program. The selection will be announced in the spring.
In addition to its flagship residency program, Villa Albertine will also host several discipline- or site-specific residencies throughout 2023. These include the Atlantic-Pacific Artist Line (a customized residency for artists and writers aboard a French container ship), “Inhabiting the Desert,” a month-long residency in Marfa supporting creative reflection on the challenges of preserving a habitable world, and residencies specifically crafted for classical musicians/composers, designers, and more.
Professional exchange and grant programs for French and France-based creatives
Dovetailing with the French government’s declaration of increased support for the field of design at home and abroad, in 2024 Villa Albertine will significantly increase the scope of Oui Design!, in partnership with the Mobilier national. Expanding from a curated path of open studios, designer talks, exhibitions, and exclusive events celebrating French-American collaboration during NYCxDesign, this year the program debuts new grants supporting the exhibition of French design in New York galleries, as well as grants enabling French designers and craftspeople to travel to New York for workshop and factory visits, and meetings with professionals and major institutions. Soon, Oui Design! will also offer opportunities for short, medium, and long-term exploratory residencies in French workshops and factories for American designers, architects, and interior designers. The call for applications for Oui Design! is open now.
In January, Villa Albertine will kick off its literary season with the Albertine Translation Fund and Prizes ceremony, honoring the best contemporary French literature in English translation. The Villa’s two other signature literary awards, the US Goncourt Prize Selection and the Prix Albertine Jeunesse, will be awarded in the spring.
States, a magazine and podcast
This month Villa Albertine will launch the second volume of its annual print ‘bookazine’ dedicated to exchange in arts and ideas. This year States asks, “Are We Done with France?” and features two dozen commissioned articles and 100+ original illustrations from intellectuals, writers, artists, and investigators who place their love, grievances, and passions under the analytical lens. This issue of States was made possible thanks to the support of Albertine Foundation and Albertine Books Foundation, with special gratitude to Sana Sabbagh.
Villa Albertine 2024 Programming Highlights
Launch of States vol.2: January 2024
The new print issue of States, which asks “Are we Done with France?” will be available at Albertine Books in New York City and online at albertine.com starting mid-January.
Albertine Translation Fund and Prizes Ceremony – January 25, 2024
Two French language books, one fiction and one non-fiction, will be selected for the prize, which honors the best contemporary French literature in English translation. Another 20+ French-language works will receive grants to support publication costs and translation.
Night of Ideas: February 23 – March 3, 2024
The free annual nocturnal marathon of philosophical debates, performances, readings, and more, will be hosted in 20 cities across the country and explore the theme “Outside the Lines.”
Author tours: February – May 2024
- Mathias Énard — The Annual Banquet of The Gravediggers’ Guild (Le banquet annuel de la confrérie des fossoyeurs, Actes Sud; trans. by Frank Wyne, New Directions, 2023). February 12 – 17 in New York City and Boston.
- Sibylle Gollac and Céline Bessière — The Gender of Capital (Le genre du capital, La Découverte; trans. by Juliette Rogers, Harvard University Press, 2023). February 24 – March 2 in New York City and Boston.
- David Diop — Beyond the Door of No Return (La porte du voyage sans retour, Seuil; trans. by Sam Taylor, Macmillan, 2023). April in several cities along the East Coast.
- Marie Darrieussecq — Sleepless: A Memoir of Insomnia (Pas dormir, P.O.L.; trans. by Penny Hueston, Semiotext(e), 2023). April in Cincinnati, New York City, Providence.
- Delphine Horvilleur — Living with our Dead: On Loss and Consolation (Vivre avec nos morts : petit traité de consolation, Grasset; trans. by Lisa Appignanesi, Europa Editions, 2024). April and May in in numerous cities across the United States.
- Jakuta Alikavazovic — Like A Sky Inside (Comme un ciel en nous, Stock; trans. by Daniel Levin Becker, Fern Books, 2024). May in San Francisco, Washington DC, New York City.
Heritage Speaks: March – June 2024
This series tackles the myriad threats to the preservation of cultural heritage with solutions-oriented discussions between leaders in the field of conservation and preservation.
US Goncourt Prize Selection April 2024
For the third annual US Goncourt Prize Selection, a jury of American students from 10 universities will gather in New York to deliberate and announce their selection for the United States’ winner of France’s most prestigious literary award, the 2024 Choix Goncourt.
Oui Design! May 15 – 22, 2024
During NYCxDesign, this festival of artist visits, open studios, designer talks, exhibitions, and exclusive events will celebrate the rich tradition of collaboration between the French and American design scenes, and significantly raise the visibility of up-and-coming French designers and artisans who will be on-site with the support of new grants.
2025 residencies announcement: Spring 2024
50 global creators, researchers, and culture professionals will be selected for Villa Albertine’s 2025 exploratory residency program.
Prix Albertine Jeunesse: June 2024
Villa Albertine’s annual reader’s choice award for the best French children’s book in English translation returns in June. Throughout the year, kids in schools across the country will read and discuss the nominees to help inform their selection.
Co-organized with Albertine Books, the AEFE and the Cultural Services of the Embassies of France in the US and Canada.
Films on the Green: March – September 2024
Films on the Green, the free French film festival in public parks across the country, will present lineups dedicated to the theme of ‘Sports in Film’, reflecting the excitement of the Olympic Games in Paris. Dates and film selections will be announced this spring for New York City, Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, and Houston.
Other 2024 season highlights
Villa Albertine’s cultural exchange initiative City/Cité, which uses the arts to facilitate multidimensional dialogues on urban issues, will be back in the fall of 2024 following successful runs in Chicago, Atlanta, and San Francisco.
This year Villa Albertine will also renew many of its successful and growing professional exchange programs, including Sounds of New York for emerging podcasters, Museums Next Generation for rising-star curators, and Boulevard des Series for high-potential screenwriters.
Finally, 2024 will also mark the 30th anniversary of the institution’s ongoing grant programs Étant Donnés Contemporary Art and FUSED – French-US Exchange in Dance. A celebration for these anniversaries will be planned later in the year.
Villa Albertine is an institution of the Embassy of France in the United States and the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, developed in partnership with Albertine Foundation, with support from the French Ministry of Culture and the Institut Français. Villa Albertine is particularly thankful for the leadership support of Societe Generale, Ford Foundation, Bettencourt-Schueller Foundation, Recanati-Kaplan Foundation, Ardian, AXA, the Florence Gould Endowment for Literary Exchange, the Judy and Peter Blum Kovler Foundation, Engie Foundation, the Louis Roederer Foundation, Van Cleef and Arpels, the Fonds de dotation Banque Transatlantique, and institutional and individual partners.
In partnership with
Albertine Foundation
Previously known as FACE Foundation, Albertine Foundation is an American nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting French-American relations through innovative cultural and educational projects. In close partnership with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States and its arts institution Villa Albertine, Albertine Foundation promotes artistic, literary, and educational exchange and collaboration between creative professionals from both countries thanks to corporate, foundation, and individual support.
Follow Albertine Foundation on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Ministry of Culture
The French Ministry of Culture aims to make the major works of humanity— and especially those of France— accessible to the largest number of people possible. As such, it maintains a policy of conservation, of protection, and of development of all components of French cultural heritage. It promotes the creation of works of art and of the mind, and the development of art practices and education. It further contributes to cultural initiatives outside of France, and to initiatives relating to the establishment of French cultural programs throughout the world.
Institut français
The Institut français is responsible for France’s international cultural program. Supervised by both the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and by the Ministry of Culture, it promotes French culture abroad through cultural exchange initiatives. Operating in a space where the arts, intellectual exchange, cultural and social innovation, and linguistic partnerships interact and intersect, it is also responsible for promoting the French language and the sharing of works, artists, and ideas all over the world. The Institut français is one of Villa Albertine’s main French partners.
Societe Generale
Societe Generale is a top tier European Bank with 117,000 employees serving 25 million clients in more than 60 countries across the world. We have been supporting the development of our economies for nearly 160 years, providing our corporate, institutional, and individual clients with a wide array of value-added advisory and financial solutions. Our long-lasting and trusted relationships with the clients, our cutting-edge expertise, our unique innovation, our ESG capabilities and leading franchises are part of our DNA and serve our most essential objective – to deliver sustainable value creation for all our stakeholders.
The Group runs three complementary sets of businesses, embedding ESG offerings for all its clients:
- French Retail, Private Banking and Insurance, with leading retail bank SG and insurance franchise, premium private banking services, and the leading digital Bank BoursoBank.
- Global Banking and Investor Solutions, a top tier wholesale bank offering tailored-made solutions with distinctive global leadership in Equity Derivatives, Structured Finance and ESG.
- International Retail, Mobility & Leasing Services, comprising well-established universal banks (in Czech Republic, Romania and several African countries), Ayvens (the new ALD I LeasePlan brand), a global player in sustainable mobility, as well as specialized financing activities.
Committed to building together with its clients a better and sustainable future, Societe Generale aims to be a leading partner in the environmental transition and sustainability overall. The Group is included in the principal socially responsible investment indices: DJSI (Europe), FTSE4Good (Global and Europe), Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, Refinitiv Diversity and Inclusion Index, Euronext Vigeo (Europe and Eurozone), STOXX Global ESG Leaders indexes, and the MSCI Low Carbon Leaders Index (World and Europe).
For more information, you can follow us on Twitter/X @societegenerale or visit our website societegenerale.com.
The Judy and Peter Blum Kovler Foundation
The Foundation’s work has included the underwriting of public spaces. This includes being the largest supporter of Washington’s Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, the principal donor for the Emmett Till Exhibit at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, a major donor to New York’s Statue of Liberty Museum and to Washington’s United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and an early donor to Chicago’s Obama Presidential Center, its latest effort after decades of assistance on Chicago’s south side.
In connection to French culture and history, it has long been helping Notre Dame restoration and has only accelerated this work since the 2019 fire; the Louvre Endowment; and to education on Holocaust and Deportation scholarship including the 1988 Academy Award winning documentary., Hotel Terminus, the Life and Times of Klaus Barbie.
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is an independent organization working to address inequality and build a future grounded in justice. For more than 85 years, it has supported visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. Today, with an endowment of $16 billion, the foundation has headquarters in New York and 10 regional offices across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Bettencourt Schueller Foundation
Bettencourt Schueller Foundation strives to embody the will of a family, driven by the spirit of enterprise and awareness of its social role, to reveal talents and help them thrive, in three fields that contribute concretely to the common good: life sciences, the arts and solidarity. Both a family foundation and recognized as a public utility since its creation in 1987, the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation intends to give wings to talent to contribute to the success and influence of France.
Recanati-Kaplan Foundation
Created in 2010 by Thomas S. Kaplan and Daphne Recanati-Kaplan, the Recanati-Kaplan Foundation supports the development of initiatives of excellence in four areas: the protection of our biodiversity; research in medical sciences; the teaching of history and philosophy; and cultural, artistic, and intellectual bridge-building between the Arab world, France and the United States.
Ardian
Ardian is a world-leading private investment house, managing or advising $150bn of assets on behalf of more than 1,400 clients globally. Our broad expertise, spanning Private Equity, Real Assets and Credit, enables us to offer a wide range of investment opportunities and respond flexibly to our clients’ differing needs. Through Ardian Customized Solutions we create bespoke portfolios that allow institutional clients to specify the precise mix of assets they require and to gain access to funds managed by leading third-party sponsors. Private Wealth Solutions offers dedicated services and access solutions for private banks, family offices and private institutional investors worldwide. Ardian is majority-owned by its employees and places great emphasis on developing its people and fostering a collaborative culture based on collective intelligence. Our1,000+ employees, spread across 16 offices in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Middle East are strongly committed to the principles of Responsible Investment and are determined to make finance a force for good in society. Our goal is to deliver excellent investment performance combined with high ethical standards and social responsibility.
At Ardian we invest all of ourselves in building companies that last.
AXA
The AXA Group is a worldwide leader in insurance and asset management, with 145,000 employees serving 93 million clients in 51 countries. In 2022, IFRS revenues amounted to Euro 102.3 billion and underlying earnings to Euro 7.3 billion. AXA had Euro 933 billion in assets under management, including assets managed on behalf of third parties, as of December 31, 2022.
The AXA ordinary share is listed on compartment A of Euronext Paris under the ticker symbol CS (ISN FR 0000120628 – Bloomberg: CS FP – Reuters: AXAF.PA). AXA’s American Depository Share is also quoted on the OTC QX platform under the ticker symbol AXAHY.
The AXA Group is included in the main international SRI indexes, such as Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) and FTSE4GOOD.
It is a founding member of the UN Environment Programme’s Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Principles for Sustainable Insurance and a signatory of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment.
This press release and the regulated information made public by AXA pursuant to article L. 451-1-2 of the French Monetary and Financial Code and articles 222-1 et seq. of the Autorité des marchés financiers’ General Regulation are available on the AXA Group website (axa.com).
Florence Gould Foundation
The Florence Gould Foundation is devoted to French-American exchange and friendship. It has provided critical and longstanding support to enable the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and its partner FACE Foundation to foster French-American exchange across disciplines and make the very best of French and francophone culture accessible to diverse communities across the United States. The Florence Gould Writers’ Residency at Villa Albertine will create exceptional and enduring opportunities for literary creation for the most promising and innovative French and Francophone authors.
The Judy and Peter Blum Kovler Foundation
The Foundation’s work has included underwriting of such public spaces as Washington’s Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Holocaust Museum; and in New York the new Statue of Liberty Museum. In connection to French culture and history, it has underwritten efforts at Notre Dame restoration, the Louvre Endowment, and to Holocaust studies including the 1988 Academy Award winning documentary, Hotel Terminus, the Life and Times of Klaus Barbie.
Louis Roederer Foundation
The Louis Roederer Foundation was founded in 2011 with the purpose of strengthening Louis Roederer’s sponsorship activity, which followed on from its discovery of the photography collection of the Bibliothèque nationale de France in 2003.
Since being awarded the title of “Major Patron of Culture and Arts”, the Foundation has supported outstanding cultural actions undertaken by recognised institutions in France and abroad. It has demonstrated a longstanding and deep commitment to the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Réunion des musées nationaux – Grand Palais and the Jeu de Paume, in Paris. The Foundation is also committed to the French Academy – Villa Medici in Rome, and has recently took part alongside the Villa Albertine in the United States.
Through its Photography Research Grant to the Bibliothèque nationale de France, its Rising Star Award at the Semaine de la Critique in Cannes, its Revelation Prize at the Deauville American Film Festival, and its Discovery Award at the Rencontres d’Arles, the Louis Roederer Foundation plays its favourite role in supporting and nurturing talented up-and-coming artists.
Van Cleef & Arpels
Founded at Paris’ 22 Place Vendôme in 1906, Van Cleef & Arpels came into being following Estelle Arpels’ marriage to Alfred Van Cleef in 1895. With a blend of inventiveness and poetry, Van Cleef & Arpels perpetuates a highly distinctive style. Its selection of exceptional gems that instill an emotion, and the savoir-faire of its craftsmen, have given birth to enchanting jewelry and watchmaking collections. Whether inspired by nature, couture, dance or imaginary worlds, the Maison opens the gate to a timeless universe of beauty and harmony. Van Cleef & Arpels’ constant commitment to creation also finds expression in its various activities as a partner and patron in the cultural field. Reflecting the Maison’s attachment to values of transmission and sharing, these initiatives take place in sectors that it holds dear: they include heritage protection, fine and decorative arts, design, dance and poetry.