Anne-Solène Rolland has been appointed as the new Director General of France's National Institute of Art History (INHA), taking over the position that had been vacant since July 24, 2025. The 43-year-old art historian and heritage conservator officially began her duties on September 1, 2025, following her joint appointment by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research and the Ministry of Culture.
Rolland brings extensive experience from prestigious French cultural institutions to her new role. She is a graduate of both the École normale supérieure, where she studied Germanic languages and literature, and the National Heritage Institute. Her career began in 2007 at the Musée du quai Branly, where she served as head of textile collections before returning to the institution in 2022 as Director of Heritage and Collections, a position she held until her recent appointment.
Throughout her career, Rolland has held several key positions within France's cultural sector. She served as heritage advisor in the cabinet of Culture Minister Frédéric Mitterrand in 2010, and later became head of the Museums of France service from 2019 to 2022. Between these roles, she worked as Secretary General of the National Museum of Immigration History and spent six years from 2013 to 2019 as advisor to the President-Director of the Louvre for territorial action.
The National Institute of Art History, established in 2001 and housed in Paris's historic Hôtel de Rohan-Soubise, is a public institution dedicated to research and promotion of art history and heritage. The institute supports researchers and students, coordinates national and international scientific programs, and manages one of the world's most important art libraries.
Rolland succeeds Éric de Chassey, who has been appointed to head the National School of Fine Arts in Paris. De Chassey served as INHA's director from 2016 to 2025, during which time he expanded the institute's research focus to include provenance studies and non-Western arts. Under his leadership, INHA enriched its library with prestigious acquisitions and increased visitor numbers through the Labrouste reading room. His tenure also saw the institute strengthen its digital outreach, multiply partnerships, and successfully establish the Festival of Art History in Fontainebleau as a major cultural event.
