New Issue of States: Independence at 250
Cover illustration by Bérénice Milon
Villa Albertine has released a new issue of STATES, its annual magazine dedicated to international exchange in the arts and ideas. 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.
In partnership with
Albertine Foundation
Albertine Foundation is an American nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting French American relations through innovative cultural and educational programs.
In close partnership with Villa Albertine, the French Institute for Culture and Education, Albertine Foundation administers grant programs across diverse creative disciplines including visual and performing arts; cinema; and literature, while also supporting exploratory residencies for creative professionals and thinkers across the United States. Albertine Foundation also contributes to promoting French language learning in the United States and funds new opportunities for students, professors, and researchers in the spheres of secondary and higher education.
Albertine Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation by Internal Revenue Service determination. Contributions from corporate, foundation, and individuals are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Societe Generale Foundation
The Societe Generale Foundation contributes to the development of a more inclusive and sustainable society by supporting initiatives that generate a positive social impact in the fields of Education, Culture and the Environment. Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, it provides support to structures of general interest and cultural organizations that carry out projects with a high impact potential, whether they are incipient or large-scale initiatives. The Foundation operates in France, at both national and regional level, and also supports multi-country or internationally oriented projects.
As a major partner of Villa Albertine’s residencies, the Societe Generale Foundation is committed, through this exceptional partnership, to supporting the career development of artists and promoting artistic excellence. It contributes to transatlantic dialogue through the arts and to the international reach of French culture. The Foundation particularly supports the development of classical music within the residencies through a dedicated call for projects, continuing a commitment of more than 38 years in this field. This partnership also builds upon the Societe Generale Group’s ongoing support of contemporary art for the past 30 years, notably through a collection of nearly 1,800 works — paintings, graphic arts, photographs and sculptures — by French and international artists. Through these commitments, Societe Generale reaffirms its dedication to artistic creation and excellence, in France and internationally.
For more information, visit https://fondation.societegenerale.com/en.
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 supported the restoration of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris and has only accelerated this work since the 2019 fire; the Louvre Endowment; and education on Holocaust and Deportation scholarship including the 1988 Academy Award-winning documentary, Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie.