The American Center for Art and Culture, formerly known as the Mona Bismarck American Center, was a cultural institution in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France, that was active from 1986 to 2022. It was dedicated to the presentation of American creation and culture. The center was launched in 2011, based on the legacy of the Mona Bismarck Foundation, which was established in 1986 following the death of its founder and sole benefactor, Countess Mona von Bismarck. She was an American philanthropist who donated her Parisian townhouse and the majority of her estate to found the Mona Bismarck Foundation, as "her desire was to establish a Cultural Centre in Paris to enhance the cause of American/French friendship upon her death".Rajakaruna, C.
Mona Bismarck Foundation: Its Background Information and the Role It Plays in the American Community
." United States Embassy France. Retrieved 24 Apr. 2013. On 4 July 2019, the Mona Bismarck American Center became the American Center for Art and Culture. On 12 December 2022, it was announced that the center was selling the property, with proceeds going to the

American Library in Paris The American Library in Paris is the largest English-language lending library on the European mainland. It operates as an independent, non-profit cultural association in France incorporated under the laws of Delaware. Library members have access ...

History

The Center

Located near the

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...

, across from the

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. Locally nicknamed "''La dame de fe ...

, the ''

hôtel particulier () is the French term for a grand urban mansion, comparable to a Townhouse (Great Britain), British townhouse. Whereas an ordinary (house) was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side and directly fronting on a ...

'' (French for 'townhouse') at 34 Avenue de New York was built at the end of the 19th century. The building was featured in a 1928 issue of ''Vogue''."MONA VON BISMARCK." Voguepedia. Vogue, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. . It was reconfigured for Mona Bismarck during the late 1950s by French interior decorator

Stéphane Boudin Stéphane Boudin (28 October 1888 – 18 October 1967) was a French interior designer and a president of Maison Jansen, the influential Paris-based interior decorating firm. Biography His father was a passementerie manufacturer. Boudin is be ...

Programming

Exhibitions

One exhibition of American art was presented each year, in partnership with international institutions. Exhibitions focused on a single artist or theme and represented a range of artistic styles and movements. Notable exhibitions * ''The Wyeths: Three Generations of American Art'' (November 10, 2011 – February 12, 2012) * ''

Mary Cassatt Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker. She was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh's North Side (Pittsburgh), North Side), but lived much of her adult life in France, whe ...

in Paris: Prints and Drawings from the Ambroise Vollard Collection'' (September 26, 2012 – January 20, 2013) * ''Quilt Art: Patchwork Art'' (February 13 – May 19, 2013) * ''Little Black Dress'' (July 3 – September 22, 2013) * ''

Yousuf Karsh Yousuf Karsh FRPS (December23, 1908July13, 2002) was an Armenian–Canadian photographer known for his portraits of notable individuals. He has been described as one of the greatest portrait photographers of the 20th century. An Armenian ge ...

: Icons of the 20th Century'' (October 16, 2013 – January 26, 2014) * ''Wasteland: New Art from Los Angeles'' (March, 12 – July 17, 2016) * ''Landscape with a Ruin – Evan Roth'' (October 2017 – November 2017) Exhibition samples File:Martha Graham 1948.jpg,

, ''

Martha Graham Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer, teacher and choreographer, whose style, the Graham technique, reshaped the dance world and is still taught in academies worldwide. Graham danced and taught for over s ...

'', 1948 File:Mary Cassatt - Under the Horse-Chestnut Tree - Google Art Project.jpg,

, ''Under the Horse-Chestnut Tree'', 1896-1897 File:Cassatt Mary The Lamp 1891.jpg, Mary Cassatt, ''The Lamp'', 1890-1891 File:Mary Cassatt - In the Omnibus - Google Art Project.jpg, Mary Cassatt, ''In the Omnibus'', 1890-1891 File:Brooklyn Museum - The Barefooted Child - Mary Cassatt.jpg, Mary Cassatt, ''The Barefooted Child'', 1896-1897 File:Mary Cassatt-Selfportrait.jpg, Mary Cassatt, ''Portrait of the Artist'', 1878

Public programs

The American Center for Art and Culture invited the public to discover American culture through a program o
concerts, performances and discussions
. The center was also often rented out for private events at night.

Education

The progra
Look & Learn
aimed to broaden French students' appreciation of American culture and art while creating a friendly environment where students could feel comfortable expressing themselves in English.

Gallery

File:MonaBsimarckAmericanCenter 2.jpg, Exterior of the building File:Fondation Mona Bismarck.jpg, Interior lobby File:Mona Bismarck American Center for art & culture.JPG, Library File:Stairway at Mona Bismarck American Center for art & culture.jpg, Stairway File:Musée Mona Bismarck.jpg, Detail of chandelier

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:American Center for art and culture Art museums and galleries in Paris Buildings and structures in the 16th arrondissement of Paris