The Medici Villa in Rome, where the winners of the Prix de Rome used to live – the competition ended in 1968 – is now owned by the French Ministry of Culture. It still is a home for artists in various fields, however artists are no longer recruited by a competition but by application, and their stays generally vary from six to eighteen months.
The Ministry of Culture announced that the contract of the current Director, Muriel Mayette-Holtz will not be renewed when it expires next week. Moreover, the Villa faces an uncertain future since a study by the Senate concluded that it might no longer be useful to host young artists at the expenses of the French State in Rome.
Among the winners of the Prix de Rome were Hector Berlioz, Ambroise Thomas, Charles Gounod, Georges Bizet, Jules Massenet, Claude Debussy, Lili Boulanger and Jacques Ibert.
