In a general report on the exceptional credits allocated to culture during and after covid, the Court of Auditors notes several oddities in the New Worlds program. Initially known as the “major public order”, announced by Emmanuel Macron in 2020 during an anthology videoconference, this program did not turn out to be an “order” but a call for expressions of interest (AMI ). This is more than a nuance, since in an AMI, the works belong to their authors although in this case, the State financed their production and distribution for the total sum of 30 million euros.
The distribution of costs is the first question of the court which notes that if 16% of the amounts spent went to the artists, a much larger part was used to finance the production of the works. In particular, she points out that of the 50 projects produced by agencies (61 were produced by the CMN), two agencies – Eva Albarran and Vivanto – captured almost all of the production orders with average costs much higher than the costs when the works are produced by the artists themselves or the CMN. So that the total amount paid to the agencies represents 26.5% of the total budget.
The magistrates note that “the operation suffered from a lack of visibility and mediation”, – a euphemism for an operation which has gone almost unnoticed by the general public and even professionals. Despite a substantial communications and events budget of 1.34 million euros.
The magistrates then regret that the operation, led by the former director of the National Museum of Modern Art, Bernard Blistène (now retired from the civil service), did not fall within the usual frameworks which have their proof (purchase of the Frac, 1% artistic) and that the regional directorates of cultural affairs have been marginalized. We want to add the CNAP to the list of excluded people. Curiously, the court does not give figures on the operating costs of the program, but by deduction it would be 7 million euros, which is not nothing.
After pointing out these reservations, the court requests that New Worlds II (also endowed with €30 million), included in the 2023 finance law, not be launched before the ministry has made an assessment of the first act.