Actualités
Villa Noailles is entering a new phase of its development, marked by a firm commitment to continuity and transformation. This momentum is reflected in the evolution of its governance, as well as in the continuation of its financial recovery and the clarification of its artistic and cultural project.
RENEWED GOVERNANCE IN CONTINUITY
As part of this evolution, Valérie Duport has been elected President of the Board of Directors, succeeding Pascale Mussard, President since 2016, whose mandate comes to an end after ten years at the helm.
Pascale Mussard will remain a member of the Board of Directors to accompany this transition and to carry forward the legacy she helped to build.
This appointment forms part of the new momentum initiated since Hugo Lucchino took up his position as Managing Director last October.
Valérie Duport’s appointment came about naturally, following a spontaneous exchange with Pascale Mussard, and in consultation with public partners, reflecting a shared commitment to ensuring a smooth and coherent transition.
The State, the Région Sud, the Département du Var, the Toulon Provence Méditerranée Metropolitan Authority, the city of Hyères and the city of Toulon welcome Valérie Duport’s appointment and remain attentive to the project’s development.
The Board of Directors and the General Assembly welcome new members with complementary profiles:
- Valérie Duport, elected President
- Renaud Sabari, founder of the agency Arter, elected Treasurer
- Pascal Morand, Executive President of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, elected Secretary
- Hervé Lemoine, President of the Manufactures Nationales, Sèvres & Mobilier national
- Cloé Perrone, art historian and exhibition curator, descendant of Charles and Marie-Laure de Noailles
- Alexandra Van Houtte, founder and President of TAGWALK
- Stanislas Colodiet, Director of the Cirva
- Émilie Hammen, Director of the Palais Galliera, Musée de la Mode de Paris
- Sophie-Justine Lieber, Managing Director of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and the École Camondo
VALÉRIE DUPORT’S CAREER
A graduate of a DEA in contemporary history from Paris 4 (Sorbonne), Valérie Duport has more than thirty years of experience in the worlds of luxury, fashion and communication.
She began her career at Chanel in the late 1980s, holding successive roles in press relations and communications within the perfumes-cosmetics division, then the watches and jewellery division. She rose through the ranks to become the House’s International Director of Press Services and External Relations.
She went on to continue her career within the Kering group, as Director of Communications and Image, leading teams and communications strategy on a global scale.
Today, she works as a consultant to major institutions and companies, bringing to these organisations her strategic expertise, her eye for image, her international network and her in-depth knowledge of the creative industries.
A VISION BUILT ON ROOTEDNESS AND INFLUENCE
Drawing on this background, Valérie Duport intends to support Hugo Lucchino, Managing Director of Villa Noailles, in carrying out his project. Deeply attached to Villa Noailles, which she discovered while working at Chanel, she also emphasises her personal ties to Hyères and the importance of close collaboration with local cultural and craft communities.
She wishes to strengthen the Villa’s influence as a multidisciplinary cultural centre, at the crossroads of emerging creative talent, fashion, photography, design and architecture.
“We are writing a new chapter in a wonderful story. This house has turned 100, the fashion festival 40, Design Parade 20. These anniversaries testify to the strength and endurance of a unique cultural project, carried forward by teams whose commitment and energy I want to acknowledge. More than ever, our times need freedom, creativity and boldness. It is our responsibility to support, nurture and reveal the talents of the next generation.” — Valérie Duport
PRIORITIES AND DIRECTIONS
In this new phase of its development, Villa Noailles, in consultation with its public partners, has set several priorities for the years ahead:
• Consolidate its financial position on a lasting basis to ensure the stability of the institution’s economic model, drawing on both public and private funding.
• Reaffirm its public-service mission in support of contemporary creation, knowledge transmission, access to culture for all, and support for emerging talent.
• Strengthen its local roots by developing cooperation with cultural, educational, economic and craft stakeholders, while continuing to build its national and international reach.
Programming is being refocused around the Festivals d’Hyères and Design Parade and the Villa’s core pillars:
• supporting contemporary creation through competitions, residencies and commissions for contemporary artists;
• disseminating artistic projects in the fields of fashion, photography, design and architecture through the design, production, co-production and regular presentation of festivals, temporary exhibitions on-site and off-site, publications and events;
• transmitting and mediating artistic projects to the widest and most diverse audiences possible, through outreach initiatives and artistic and cultural education;
• showcasing the architectural, historical and artistic heritage, and the work and legacy of Charles and Marie-Laure de Noailles;
FINANCIAL SITUATION AND RECOVERY PLAN
Villa Noailles continues to actively pursue its debt-reduction plan, undertaken as part of a recovery trajectory set out over the next three years.
This approach is underpinned by ongoing, constructive dialogue with all of its suppliers, whose renewed trust and support are an essential part of this momentum.
At the same time, the Villa continues to consolidate its operating model in order to ensure a lasting balance between its artistic ambition, its public-service mission and the sustainability of its development.
“Take the miracle by the hand. Without wounding the future.” — Marie-Laure de Noailles.
A century after its creation, Villa Noailles remains true to the vision of Marie-Laure de Noailles: to make creative boldness a commitment, and support for emerging talent a responsibility.
Valérie Duport and Hugo Lucchino
© Luc Bertrand – villa Noailles
Rachida DATI, Minister of Culture, in full agreement with Pascale MUSSARD, President of villa Noailles, Renaud MUSELIER, President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Regional Council, Jean-Louis MASSON, President of the Var Departmental Council, Jean-Pierre GIRAN, President of the Toulon-Provence-Méditerranée Metropolis and Mayor of Hyères, and Josée MASSI, Mayor of Toulon, approved the appointment of Hugo LUCCHINO as Managing Director of villa Noailles, following the unanimous recommendation of the jury that met on 25 July 2025. He will take up his post in autumn 2025.
After studying the philosophy of art at Paris IV University – Sorbonne, in museology and art and fashion history at the École du Louvre, and in cultural institution management at Sciences Po Paris, Hugo LUCCHINO served as administrative and financial director of the public interest group Le Signe, a national graphic design centre, where he subsequently held the position of secretary general.
Hugo LUCCHINO currently holds the position of secretary general at the Palais Galliera, the Paris Museum of Fashion, where he has worked on the design and implementation of the institution’s new scientific and cultural project.
Hugo Lucchino’s project is perfectly in line with the history, territory and challenges of the villa Noailles and demonstrates his in-depth knowledge of the fashion and design sectors. His programme is structured around two festivals, the International Festival of Fashion, Photography and Accessories of Hyères and the Design Parade Hyères and Toulon Festivals, founded by Jean-Pierre BLANC, which will soon be celebrating their 40th, 20th and 10th anniversaries respectively, as well as promoting the heritage of the site.
The villa Noailles Association would like to thank Jean-Pierre Blanc for his artistic direction, his work and his commitment to discovering and promoting young talent over the last forty years, and since the opening of the art centre in 2003.
The villa Noailles Association would also like to thank all the teams and the public for their support throughout the summer.
‘The villa Noailles Association, of which I am a member, is delighted with this appointment. Hugo joins us with great artistic sensitivity and valuable management experience to write a new chapter in our history together.’ – Pascale Mussard, Chair of the Board of Directors.
“I am delighted to be joining the villa Noailles team soon to imagine together the next chapter in its history around its two pillars, fashion and design, and to work to reveal its future talents. I would like to thank the Villa’s administrators and public partners for their trust, as well as Jean-Pierre Blanc for the unique artistic legacy he is passing on to me. ” – Hugo Lucchino
villa Noailles press contact
– Alexis Djouahra, Director of Communications
a.djouahra@villanoailles.com
For nearly four decades, Jean-Pierre Blanc has shaped the Villa Noailles into a unique place where contemporary creation, architectural heritage, and artistic audacity engage in constant dialogue. Under his leadership, the Villa has established itself as a landmark on the French cultural scene, deeply rooted in the Var region while shining far beyond our borders.
Founder and tireless driving force behind the International Festival of Fashion, Photography and Accessories in Hyères—celebrating its 40th anniversary this year—and initiator of Design Parade in both Hyères and Toulon, Jean-Pierre Blanc has discovered, supported, and nurtured countless talents. He has given the Villa Noailles a powerful artistic signature: the freedom to experiment, a demand for excellence in vision, openness to all audiences with more than 280,000 visits in 2024, and unwavering care for the artists, artisans, schools, and partners that form our ecosystem.
As he now departs from the Villa Noailles, we wish to express our deep gratitude. Gratitude for the work patiently built, for the festivals that have become landmark events, for the exhibitions, residencies, and encounters that have inspired vocations and profoundly transformed the local and national cultural landscape. The Villa Noailles is committed to preserving and carrying forward this legacy: supporting young creation through residencies at Château Saint Pierre, sharing the story of patrons Charles and Marie-Laure de Noailles through exhibitions and the architecture of Robert Mallet-Stevens, and cultivating excellence while remaining accessible.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, we extend to Jean-Pierre Blanc our most respectful and heartfelt tribute, along with our warmest wishes for the continuation of his dedication to artists.
The Board of Directors of the Villa Noailles
Hyères, September 25
© Louis Teran