Under the Dome of the Palais de l’Institut de France, the green outfits welcomed a unique guest: a chef. On May 20, 2026, Guy Savoy’s installation session at the Academy of Fine Arts brought French cuisine to a place long reserved for painters, sculptors and musicians. A day where gluttony took its place among the arts.
Behind this very solemn image, there is a precise institutional path. Elected on November 13, 2024 to chair V of the free members section, in succession to financier and patron Michel David-Weill, Guy Savoy became the first chef to join this Academy founded in 1816. Multi-starred chef at the head of the Restaurant Guy Savoy at the Monnaie de Paris, often cited among the best in the world, he has a stake that goes beyond his name alone.
Guy Savoy under the Cupola: French gastronomy changes rank
The ceremony on May 20, 2026 was held under the Dome of the Palais de l’Institut de France, in the presence of academicians and guests from the world of culture. The permanent secretary Laurent Petitgirard carried out the installation, before Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière presented the leader with his academic sword. The event, broadcast live on the YouTube channel of the Academy of Fine Arts, ratified the official entry of cuisine into this institution which is more than two centuries old.
Facing the academicians, Guy Savoy insisted on the collective meaning of this recognition. He praised an institution which believes that gastronomy has “its rightful place” among the arts and defined himself as an artisan, perhaps even an artist, taking with him the professions of tableware, sommelier and hospitality. And he summed up the issue in a phrase that has become emblematic: , explains Guy Savoy to Food&Sens.
From the election to Chair V to the recognition of an ambassador
The November 2024 election marked a decisive milestone. By choosing Guy Savoy for chair V of the free members section, the Academy of Fine Arts has opened this section, long reserved for great figures of creation and patronage, to French gastronomy. In his presentation, Laurent Petitgirard described the chef as one of the most eminent representatives of French cuisine, humanist, passionate about contemporary art and committed to the defense of heritage, particularly around the gastronomic meal of the French, listed as UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage.
On the culinary side, Guy Savoy’s legitimacy was built in Paris, where his restaurant at Monnaie de Paris is often described as a temple of haute cuisine. Ranked among the very best establishments in the world by La Liste, it defends a cuisine that combines classic heritage and creation, in which each dish is thought of as a composition, with extreme care given to the products, textures and table setting.
When gluttony becomes an art in its own right
With this installation, the Academy of Fine Arts, created in 1816 and integrated into the Institut de France, officially brings gastronomy into the circle of disciplines that it protects and promotes. Painting, sculpture, architecture, music, photography, choreography… and now cooking can be found under the same roof. More than 200 years after the birth of the Academy, gourmandise joins other expressions of the French spirit and consolidates the role of the table in the cultural identity of the country.
For young chefs, this day under the Dome acts as a strong signal. Guy Savoy recalls that this recognition concerns the kitchens as much as the dining rooms, the sommeliers, the artisans who create tableware. It opens the way to more dialogues between restaurants, museums and art schools, and gives new legitimacy to those who claim cooking as an artistic act. The images of the green coat, the sword and the applause under the Dome remain as the symbol of a moment when a menu can also be seen as a work.
Why is Guy Savoy’s entry into the Academy of Fine Arts historic?
Because he is the first chef to become an academician since the creation of the Academy of Fine Arts in 1816, which marks the official recognition of gastronomy as an art in its own right.
What chair does Guy Savoy occupy within the Academy of Fine Arts?
Guy Savoy was elected to chair V of the free members section, where he succeeds Michel David-Weill, a figure of patronage and finance, who died in 2022.
What is the link between Guy Savoy and French gastronomic heritage at UNESCO?
The Academy underlines Guy Savoy’s commitment to the French gastronomic meal, listed as UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage, whose cultural and collective dimension he defends.
Is gastronomy now recognized as an art by the Academy of Fine Arts?
Yes, with the entry of Guy Savoy, the Academy recognizes gastronomy as a form of artistic expression, alongside painting, sculpture, music and even photography.
