In 1803, Napoleon Bonaparte moved the French Academy in Rome to the Villa Medici with the intention of preserving an institution once threatened by the French Revolution.
At first, the villa and its gardens were in a sad state, and they had to be renovated in order to house the winners of the Prix de Rome.
In this way, he hoped to retain for young French artists the opportunity to see and copy the masterpieces of antiquity and the Renaissance.

The young architect Auguste-Henri-Victor Grandjean de Montigny undertook the renovation.

The competition was interrupted during the first World War, and Benito Mussolini confiscated the villa in 1941, forcing the Academy of France in Rome to withdraw until 1945.
 The competition and the Prix de Rome were eliminated in 1968 by André Malraux.
 The Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris and the Institut de France then lost their guardianship of the Villa Medici to the Ministry of Culture and the French State.

From that time on, the boarders no longer belonged solely to the traditional disciplines (painting, sculpture, architecture, metal-engraving, precious-stone engraving, musical composition, etc.)
but also to new or previously neglected artistic fields (art history, archaeology, literature, stagecraft,  photography, movies, video, art restoration, writing and even cookery.)
 Artists are no longer recruited by a competition but by application, and their stays generally vary from six to eighteen months.

Between 1961 and 1967, the artist Balthus, then at the head of the Academy, carried out a vast restoration campaign of the palace and its gardens, providing them with modern equipment.
Balthus participated “hands on” in all the phases of the construction.
Where the historic décor had disappeared, Balthus proposed personal alternatives.
He invented a décor that was a homage to the past and, at the same time,  radically contemporary: The mysterious melancholic decor he created for Villa Medici has become, in turn, historic and was undergoing an important  restoration campaign in 2016.
Work continued under the direction of the previous director, Richard Peduzzi, and the Villa Medici resumed organizing exhibitions and shows created by its artists in residence.

The Academy continues its programme of inviting young artists, who receive a stipend to spend twelve months in Rome, exhibiting their work.
These artists-in-residence are known as pensionnaires.
The French word ‘pension’ refers to the room & board these, generally young and promising, artists receive.
The Villa Medici hosts a number of guest rooms, and when these are not used by pensionnaires or other official guests, they are open to the general public.
In 1803, Napoleon Bonaparte moved the French Academy in Rome to the Villa Medici with the intention of preserving an institution once threatened by the French Revolution. At first, the villa and its gardens were in a sad state, and they had to be renovated in order to house the winners of the Prix de Rome. In this way, he hoped to retain for young French artists the opportunity to see and copy the masterpieces of antiquity and the Renaissance.
The young architect Auguste-Henri-Victor Grandjean de Montigny undertook the renovation.
The competition was interrupted during the first World War, and Benito Mussolini confiscated the villa in 1941, forcing the Academy of France in Rome to withdraw until 1945.  The competition and the Prix de Rome were eliminated in 1968 by André Malraux.  The Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris and the Institut de France then lost their guardianship of the Villa Medici to the Ministry of Culture and the French State.
From that time on, the boarders no longer belonged solely to the traditional disciplines (painting, sculpture, architecture, metal-engraving, precious-stone engraving, musical composition, etc.) but also to new or previously neglected artistic fields (art history, archaeology, literature, stagecraft,  photography, movies, video, art restoration, writing and even cookery.)  Artists are no longer recruited by a competition but by application, and their stays generally vary from six to eighteen months.
Between 1961 and 1967, the artist Balthus, then at the head of the Academy, carried out a vast restoration campaign of the palace and its gardens, providing them with modern equipment. Balthus participated “hands on” in all the phases of the construction. Where the historic décor had disappeared, Balthus proposed personal alternatives. He invented a décor that was a homage to the past and, at the same time,  radically contemporary: The mysterious melancholic decor he created for Villa Medici has become, in turn, historic and was undergoing an important  restoration campaign in 2016. Work continued under the direction of the previous director, Richard Peduzzi, and the Villa Medici resumed organizing exhibitions and shows created by its artists in residence.
The Academy continues its programme of inviting young artists, who receive a stipend to spend twelve months in Rome, exhibiting their work. These artists-in-residence are known as pensionnaires. The French word ‘pension’ refers to the room & board these, generally young and promising, artists receive. The Villa Medici hosts a number of guest rooms, and when these are not used by pensionnaires or other official guests, they are open to the general public.
Villa Medici