Guillaume Cerutti to Lead Versailles After Eight-Month Vacancy

Guillaume Cerutti is set to become the next president of the Château de Versailles, according to three people familiar with the procedure. The nomination, proposed by Culture Minister Catherine Pégard and chosen by Emmanuel Macron, is expected to be validated in a Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday. The Elysée did not respond to requests for comment.

The former head of Christie’s and ex-president of the Pinault Collection would end eight months of speculation over the prestigious post. Several names had circulated in recent months, including Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly, who was forced to deny reports. Cerutti’s network among buyers, collectors, and patrons reportedly worked in his favor.

A graduate of the École nationale d’administration, Cerutti began his career at the Inspection des Finances. He led the office of Jean-Jacques Aillagon at the Ministry of Culture in the early 2000s, then returned to Bercy as director general of the DGCCRF. He later moved into the art market, working for Sotheby’s and Christie’s, which is owned by the Pinault family’s holding company Artémis. He was worldwide CEO of Christie’s from 2017 to 2025, then president of the Pinault Collection until last spring.

“C’est un gros rebond. Je ne sais pas comment il a réussi à obtenir le job,” a senior official at a major French museum told POLITICO. Versailles, one of the most visited cultural sites in the world, welcomed nearly 8.4 million visitors in 2025.