They are now part of a logic of social responsibility

The current crisis probably marks the end of an era: easy money, the excitement of contemporary art. But, often, the crisis act as indicative of pre-existing trends whose emergence is suddenly accelerated. The excesses of financial capitalism without brakes or limits were known; but, with this crisis, the need for a new regulation of capitalism has consensus.

Experts agree: it passes by the rehabilitation of public power, but also by taking into account by the enterprises themselves to other logics than those of course profit in a closely accounting sense. This is what is called corporate social responsibility (CSR) or according to the formula of Bill Gates, the "creative capitalism."

This movement, which it sees today that the premises will certainly have this.

In its traditional design, cultural patronage could be severely affected by the current crisis. The social prestige attached as the personal relationship he translated often between the leaders of the company and supported cultural project become suspicious in difficult times where, by reaction with the previous period, which may appear as conspicuous is banned and where everything that is not directly useful is implicated.

But the decline of this form of cultural patronage was announced long before the current crisis, and no doubt already begun. Long ago, in the policies of patronage, culture is in competition with humanitarian relief, environment and sport. The crisis accelerated developments and challenges cultural institutions: it has become vital to refounding cultural patronage in taking support on the rise of the social responsibility of companies.

Because on the contrary, the terms of this new equation, far from being contradictory, are intimately linked. Sustainable development is a concept human-centred on "the expansion of human capabilities" according to the economist Amartya Sen whose culture with the environment, the economic and social, is one of the four pillars. For these smugglers are cultural institutions, the central issue today in the field of philanthropy, therefore invent common territories with businesses anxious to promote a balanced approach to sustainable development in fulfilling their social responsibility.

For several months, we have hired this approach at the Centre Pompidou. We rely on a background belief that underlies all of our new strategic project: the current creation is a powerful leaven of dynamism, agility and social and economic transformation in the civilization of the intelligence and innovation that is now ours. a company that opens to the questions of its artists is more mobile, more apt to be questioning society, a society more open to the future.

Tomorrow, we will amplify this logic with our strategic projects such as a Centre Pompidou mobile, structure of exhibition nomadic to the masterpieces of modern art in the heart of disadvantaged territories, or even by being the first major Museum to create a specific space to enable adolescents to confront contemporary creation.

In this type of approaches, issues of cultural patronage go well beyond the funding. They are now part of a logic of social responsibility. Is therefore not a retreat to a "crisis sponsorship" focusing on the micro-financements to the risk of the dusting and inefficiency that it is, but many a redefinition of cultural patronage, a new sponsorship of social utility, sealing a genuine partnership between the cultural institution and the enterprise, actor economic and social leading around shared territories that must be constantly reinventing. For all, this is an exciting challenge that the crisis invites us to meet.