Public intellectuals as policy makers: the democratization of culture and Sean O’Faoláin’s Arts Council, 1956–1959

ABSTRACT

This article examines the brief tenure of the writer Sean O’Faoláin as Director of the Arts Council of Ireland. The article notes the generational similarities and shared outlook between O’Faoláin and André Malraux, the Minister of Culture for France from 1959 to 1969. However, O’Faoláin’s tenure in office was shorter, less successful, and marked by a bitter dispute with the administration and artists of the Royal Hibernian Academy. This dispute serves as a useful case study for examining competing conceptions of national culture, the purpose of cultural policy, and the role of the cultural elite as arbiters of taste.

KEYWORDS:

• Sean O’Faoláin
• André Malraux
• cultural policy
• Arts Council (Ireland)

Acknowledgements

The author is grateful for the comments and suggestions of the anonymous reviewers.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Brian McKenzie

Brian McKenzie received his PhD in history from Stony Brook University and is the author of Remaking France: Americanization, Public Diplomacy, and the Marshall Plan.