Serge Lasvignes – Former French Politician

As the president of the Centre Pompidou, Serge Lasvignes has been in the middle of controversy from the art world. As Lasvignes has no experience in the art world, many were wondering how the government’s general secretary would handle running a museum. As he is being put in charge of one of the most important public art collections in Europe.

He is not alone, working along side of Bernard Blistène the director of the Centre Pompidou, the two have been extremely busy. The duo have been preparing for the 40th anniversary of the museum, as well as, running the interdisciplinary programme. The celebration will be decentralized according to Lasvignes, who mentioned the 15 dance and music performances and 50 exhibitions in the 40 partner institutions across France and overseas.

While many wondered if Lasvignes would be able to handle the new role, others have pointed out that Seban, one of the previous presidents of the Centre Pompidou, didn’t have any cultural experience either before he got the job. In 2016, Lasvignes was named one of the year’s most influential people in the contemporary art world for his work by ArtReview magazine.

The masculine name Serge is the French version of Sergius, which is a Roman family name that probably means “servant” in Latin. However, the name is more likely to be of unknown Etruscan origin. There are many saints with this name, from Saint Sergius the 4th-century Roman officer to the patron saints of the Christian desert nomads. This given name was also given to four popes and many other notable people.