Guillaume Cerutti Named President of the Château de Versailles

French President Emmanuel Macron has named Guillaume Cerutti, former Christie's CEO and former president of the Pinault Collection, as the next president of the Château de Versailles. The nomination was announced by government officials today. Cerutti starts on November 9, replacing Christophe Leribault, who left in February to lead the Louvre, Politico reports.

Cerutti's comeback surprised the French art world. He exited the Pinault Collection presidency in the spring after just 13 months, prompting talk of a falling-out with its founder, the French billionaire François Pinault. "It's a big comeback. I don't know how he managed to get the job," an unnamed high-ranking museum figure told Politico. Le Monde called the appointment "a stunning vindication."

What went wrong at the Pinault Collection?

Cerutti, 60, built his career across French public arts and the auction business. He served as managing director of the Centre Pompidou and as chief of staff to the culture minister before running Sotheby's France from 2007 to 2011, then becoming deputy chairman of Sotheby's Europe. In 2016, Christie's hired him as president for Europe, the Middle East, Russia and India; a year later he became CEO, holding that role until January 2025.

In February 2025 he took the helm of the Pinault Collection, which holds some 10,000 works and runs three private museums: the Bourse de Commerce in Paris, opened in 2021, and Venice's Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana, opened in 2006 and 2007. Pinault also owns Venice's Teatrino, a 225-seat auditorium redesigned by Tadao Ando and reopened in 2013.

The arrangement collapsed quickly. According to Le Monde, Cerutti antagonized Pinault by trying to slow acquisitions. "He acted like an abrasive cost-cutter, without grasping that Pinault, for whom the collection is his passion, had no intention of letting anyone decide for him," one unnamed source told the French newspaper.

Why did Versailles want him?

The very traits that sank him at the Pinault Collection may have won him Versailles. His reputation as an "uncompromising manager" and his network of wealthy, powerful contacts reportedly tipped the balance, especially on fundraising. The context is blunt: France's 2027 budget cuts €3 million ($3.4 million) in operating funding from the palace while granting €7 million ($7.9 million) for "investment."

"His experience in the private sector will be an asset at Versailles. We need to break down barriers: there isn't one noble sector and another that isn't," Philippe Bélaval, a former advisor to Macron, told the AFP.

Cerutti also inherits an ongoing €200 million ($225 million) restoration, safety and security upgrade to the 400-year-old former royal palace, begun in 2024 and running through 2031, according to the culture ministry. "These works, aimed at strengthening fire safety and the security of the buildings and collections, represent the largest construction project the public institution has seen since its creation," the ministry said in its announcement.

What does this change for visitors?

The institution Cerutti takes over welcomed about 8.4 million visitors last year and employs some 1,000 workers. Security has become pressing after a spate of thefts across France, most famously the Louvre crown-jewel heist in October 2025. To help cover running costs, the estate raised its standard entry fee from €32 ($36) to €35 ($39) for non-European residents in January.

So what does this change for Versailles? Expect a harder push for private money — and, if the Pinault episode repeats, friction over who decides how it's spent.