Pascal Faracci appointed director of the Cognacq-Jay museum
Pascal Faracci, chief heritage curator and former director of the museums of Poitiers, was appointed director of the Cognacq-Jay museum in June 2022.
The information was revealed during the opening of the “Aggregation #7” exhibition at the Sainte-Croix museum on Wednesday June 1. Anne-Sophie de Gasquet, Managing Director of Paris Musées, and Carine Rolland, Deputy Mayor of Paris in charge of Culture and the quarter-hour city (ideal model of a city where all essential services are at a distance quarter of an hour on foot or by bike), as well as president of Paris Musées, announced the appointment of Pascal Faracci as director of the Cognacq Jay Museum. He will take up his duties in July 2022, succeeding Annick Lemoine.
Studies of excellence at the heart of the Grandes Ecoles
Born in 1967, Pascal Faracci began his studies by training as an engineer at the École Centrale Paris (1986-1989). After studying Economics and Finance at Sciences Po Paris from 1988 to 1990, he turned to art history at the Sorbonne (master in 2001-2002) then at the École du Louvre (master in 2003 -2004) to finish with a master’s degree at the National Heritage Institute later (2012-2013).
An original career path
For nearly two decades, Pascal Faracci held administrative positions in banking and industry such as finance (BNP Paribas, Imarys, Bonduelle, Essilor). A crush on Italian art and the resumption of his studies in 2012 led him to become a museum curator at the age of 46 and direct his career towards the world of museum institutions. If he did some internships in Paris during his training (Quai Branly Museum, CNAP), Pascal Faracci also went through the Metropolis of Greater Nancy or the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. He then directed the Poitiers museum for eight years. Head curator of heritage, he has enriched the Poitevin museums with around fifty acquisitions and organized around thirty exhibitions, testifying to a real penchant for the 18th century, with in particular “A trip to Italy” by Louis Gauffier (1762-1801).
A bold project within the management of a museum that celebrates 18th century art
The museum is located in the Hotel Donon, in the Marais, and brings together a rich collection of paintings and sculptures from the 18th century, with works ranging from Fragonard to Rembrandt. Proposing to be part of the continuity of the requirement of the exhibitions which have made the reputation of the museum, Pascal Faracci will center his project around the quality of the collections, the preservation of the charm of the place and an approach to the frequent works modernities of 18th century art. It will also ensure that cultural programming is accessible to all audiences. The museum, which employs 28 agents, is currently hosting an exhibition dedicated to Louis-Léopold Boilly, which has received nearly 40,000 visitors.