Guy Savoy admitted to the Académie des Beaux-Arts

PARIS. The world-renowned chef Guy Savoy has been elected as a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts. More than two centuries after its foundation, the institution has thus officially recognised gastronomy as an art form. Until now, it had recognised the disciplines of painting, sculpture, architecture, engraving and drawing, musical composition, directing, photography and choreography. The Académie des Beaux-Arts is one of the five branches of the Institut de France.

Guy Savoy runs the eponymous restaurant at the Monnaie de Paris. It has been named ‘Best Restaurant in the World’ on several occasions by the La Liste ranking. His election was praised by State Secretary Laurent Petitgirard: “By electing Guy Savoy, the Académie has honoured not only one of the most significant figures in French gastronomy, but also a humanist and lover of contemporary art who contributes to our country’s international reputation, as demonstrated by his commitment to having the ‘repas gastronomique des Français’ inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list.”

On Wednesday 20 May, Guy Savoy thanked the assembled members: “I thank you for having placed your judgement at the service of French gastronomy and for having deemed it worthy of admission to your Academy. So here I am, a craftsman and perhaps even an artist by my own choice, bringing with me all the craftsmen who are committed to gastronomy, the French countryside, the art of the table, sommellerie, courtesy, the art of hospitality – in short, the French art of living.”

Guy Savoy now belongs to the ‘section des membres libres’. Within this section, he was elected to Chair V, previously held by Michel David-Weill, a leading figure in investment banking, but also a world-renowned collector, patron of the world’s greatest museums and a philanthropist of legendary generosity. Guy Savoy, who wore the traditional “Habit Vert” at the ceremony, was presented with the academic sword by Academy member Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière.