Malraux's Commitments

This event will take place in French

Three French Centers of Excellence are joining forces to celebrate the 50th anniversary of André Malraux’s death. La Maison Française of NYU has been awarded the Ministry of Culture’s seal of approval, and its project features on the Ministry’s list of highlighted international events. Held under the patronage of the President of the French Republic, these events will showcase a major figure in 20th-century French culture. Our goal is to encourage American students and the public to rediscover the various facets of André Malraux through the concept of commitment.

We will comment on his actions during the Spanish Civil War, when he fought alongside the Spanish Republicans in 1936, and on his involvement in the Resistance and in the liberation of France in 1944 during the Second World War. We will highlight his cultural policy in France as the minister who promoted the Maisons de la culture throughout the country. His literary work will also be a key feature of our festival, with his famous novels such as L'Espoir and La Condition humaine, his essays on the history of art, and his memoirs. Our three universities will promote a dialogue on this astonishing legacy.

An international symposium will be held on October 29, 2026, in New York, bringing together leading international specialists of Malraux's work. Malraux’s contribution to cinema will be highlighted by an exhibition at NYU and WashU. The curator who conceived the exhibition for the Strasbourg Library, will come to present it. The film Sierra de Teruel, in its recently restored version, will be screened at Cantor Film Center on Friday, October 30th.

Confirmed Participating Scholars:

Denis Hollier (New York University)
Jean-Louis Jeannelle (Sorbonne Université)
Céline Malraux (Président of the Cinquantenaire André Malraux)
Domnica Rǎdulescu (Washington and Lee University)
Michaël de Saint Cheron (Président du Centre international de recherche André Malraux -CIRAM)
Anne-Gaëlle Saliot (Duke University)
Dominique Vaugeois (Université de Rennes 2)
Benoît Wirrmann (Bibliothèque nationale et Universitaire de Strasbourg)