The Arab World Institute in Paris, known as the Institut du monde arabe or IMA, has appointed Anne-Claire Legendre—a French diplomat close to president Emmanuel Macron—to replace Jack Lang as chair. Legendre, 46, who is Macron’s adviser for the Middle East and North Africa, will be the first woman to lead the institution since its creation, as a centre for the study of the culture of the Arab and Islamic World, in 1987.
Legendre’s appointment follows the resignation of Jack Lang, 86, who has led the IMA for the past 13 years and is now the target of an investigation over his ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. On Monday, there were surreal scenes at the IMA as Lang held a leaving ceremony while police raided his office, as well as his apartment. “It is a bit strange,” he said to the 100 or so members of staff and guests, who could see police officers coming and going with computers and phones, “but it’s alright, I have nothing to hide.”
Lang, whose name appears 673 times in the Epstein files, maintained he was “completely innocent” and “knew nothing of Epstein’s horrific crimes”. Epstein was convicted of soliciting prostitution and soliciting a minor in 2008. He died in prison in 2019 in what was ruled a suicide, while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Lang denies any involvement in Prytanee, an offshore art dealing company in the Virgin Islands that, according to the website Mediapart, was set up by Epstein with Lang’s daughter Caroline, with a $1.4m deposit.
Jack Lang’s lawyer, Laurent Merlet, told the French radio station RTL that his client “might have given his opinion on works of art” but never received a cent from the company. Caroline Lang, who recently resigned as the director of France’s independent film and TV producers’ union, said she too “never benefited from the company”. Jack Lang is currently under police protection after facing a flurry of social media threats.
Legendre has had a long diplomatic career, centred on the Arab world. She was ambassador to Kuwait, in 2020 and 2021, before becoming spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry and joining the presidential palace in 2023.
The IMA, established by the governments of France and 18 Arab countries in a building designed by Jean Nouvel on the bank of the Seine, will celebrate its 40th anniversary next year. The 27,000 sq. m institute includes an art gallery, auditorium, library and restaurant, and records around 750,000 visitors annually. It has recently held daring exhibitions on Palestine, the Jewish and Christian historical presence in the Middle East, and visions of gay love by Arab artists.
After the collectors Claude and France Lemand donated 1,677 works by 148 artists, Jack Lang announced a major renovation to display the institute’s enormous collection of 2,500 paintings, 900 antiquities and manuscripts as well as 4,500 photographs. In spite of a €6m state subsidy, he was unable to raise the full €27m required for the renovation, and opted instead for a more limited rehang. The new gallery is now scheduled to open at the end of 2027.