The French Academy and the Paris Invasion
An Excerpt From My Memoirs
In 1961, the nomination of my father to the Directorship of the French Academy in Rome was signed by General de Gaulle.
My father had been coaxed into leaving the seclusion of Chassy by his old friend André Malraux, who was Minister of Culture.
Reluctant from the onset, my father only accepted the prestigious position when given carte blanche to proceed with a complete restoration of the 500-year-old Villa Medici, which would take several years.