Laurence des Cars with Helen Lee and Joachim Pissarro

Laurence des Cars (born in 1966) general heritage curator, was appointed President of the Public Establishment of the Musée d’Orsay et de l’Orangerie in March 2017 by the President of the French Republic, at the proposal of the Minister of Culture.From 1994 to 2007, Laurence des Cars was a curator at the musée d’Orsay, then from 2007 to 2014, she was Scientific Director of Agence France-Muséums, the French operator in charge of developing the Louvre Abu Dhabi. In January 2014, Laurence des Cars was appointed Director of the Musée de l’Orangerie.

A specialist in 19th and early 20th century art, Laurence des Cars curated many exhibitions including Édouard Vuillard (Washington, National Gallery of Art; Montreal, Museum of Fine Arts; Paris, Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, London, Royal Academy of Art, 2003-2004); Gustave Courbet (Paris, Galeries nationales du Grand Palais; New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Montpellier; Musée Fabre, 2007-2008); Jean-Léon Gérôme (Los Angeles, Getty Museum; Paris, Musée d’Orsay; Madrid, Museo Thyssen, 2010-2011); Louvre Abu Dhabi. Birth of a Museum (Paris, Musée du Louvre; Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Al Manarat, 2014); Sade. Attacking the Sun (Paris, Musée d’Orsay, 2014-2015); Apollinaire. The Eyes of the Poet (Paris, Musée de l’Orangerie, 2016). Laurence des Cars is a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, Chevalier of the National Order of Merit and Officer of Arts and Letters.