Award 2004
World Monuments Fund (Paris), Arnaud d'Aunay - Galerie Philippe Heim
The Colombani House, annex of the Alliance Française (French alliance), is a tool of the French-Indian cultural cooperation. It was in 1987, that the Colombani Family donated the building almost in ruins to the Alliance Française.
The Alliance Française had therefore to preserve one of the masterpieces of the French legacy. With the support of the French embassy, a real cultural project was born: An artists’ residence.
The goal was to turn the Colombani house into the show window of Pondicherry’s contemporary creation. Indian students can go to a real French café, to an art gallery; there’s also a multimedia centre about France. This house will also permit artists to find inspiration and create new art pieces on the terrace of this beautiful building.
