The architecture of power: Francois Mitterrand's grands travaux revisited

Building on earlier research, this paper proposes a more refined analysis of how the main decision-making processes pertaining to the grands travaux were established in the very early stages. Informed by consultation of official archival sources to which access was obtained by special permission (deacuterogation), it shows the manner and extent of the personal intervention by Francois Mitterrand, and offers new insights into his attachment to the Grand Louvre project, which drove the wider programme of architectural and cultural projects. It shows how and why a set of disparate projects were packaged into a flagship policy, and sheds light on the conflicts of power within the machinery of government under the Fifth Republic, especially relating to cultural policy during the Lang years. It shows how the highly politicised context motivated Mitterrand's drive to circumvent normal administrative processes in order to mark his presidency with a cultural stamp.