States: Independence at 250

Published in the 250th anniversary year of the Declaration of Independence, “Independence at 250” examines the legacy of the Enlightenment and the long history of cultural exchange between France and the United States.

Across essays, interviews, reportage, and portfolios of art and photography the issue examines how French-American friendship has been shaped by shared revolutionary ideals, cultural rivalry, and centuries of intellectual exchange. Moving between history and the present, contributors reflect on democracy, art, theory, cinema, emerging technologies, and more.

Historians Robert Darnton and Carine Lounissi trace the improbable origins of the alliance between a French King and a fledgling republic. David A. Bell explores the paradox of leadership in two countries born of revolution, while a conversation between Laurence des Cars and Glenn D. Lowry considers the past and future of museums in the aftermath of the Louvre heist. Elsewhere in the issue, François Cusset revisits the contested influence of French theory in the U.S.; Rebecca Leffler examines the long-standing symbiosis between French and American cinema; and artist Louis-Paul Caron reimagines the transatlantic relationship through the distortions of artificial intelligence and machine vision.

The magazine’s “Coast to Coast” section features dispatches by fourteen writers, artists, filmmakers, and curators who have undertaken immersive journeys across the U.S. as part of Villa Albertine’s residency program.

A key initiative of Villa Albertine, States is published online and in print as a lavishly designed 272-page bookazine, featuring work by leading illustrators Lucas Harari and Bérénice Milon. Since its debut in 2023, the magazine has explored themes including food and culture, American perceptions of France, and art in the age of AI.

Start reading the issue online here.

Purchase a print copy of the new issue of States at Albertine Books (972 Fifth Avenue at 79th Street in New York City) or order a copy here.

This issue of  States was made possible by the support of Albertine Foundation and Albertine Books Foundation. Leadership support was provided by the Societe Generale Foundation, major patron of Villa Albertine’s residency program, and the Judy and Peter Blum Kovler Foundation, which supports French-American intellectual exchange.