Paul Dujardin is an art historian and director-general of BOZAR in Brussels. Under his leadership, the Centre for Fine Arts has become an interdisciplinary cultural centre with a European Mission and International scope.
Career
In 1986 he became a graduate in art history and archeology at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and in 1987 he obtained a degree in policy sciences at the VLEKHO. He also studied at the University of Oviedo, the Goethe-Institut and the Freie Universität Berlin. He became assistant to the Secretary-General of the International Federation for Youth and Music. With Bernard Foccroulle and Claude Micheroux, he organized a series of seminars in collaboration with Les Jeunesses Musicales de la Communauté française. In 1988 he founded the Festival of contemporary music Ars Musica, of which he remained the coordinator until 1993. In 1992 he became director-general of the Philharmonic Society of Brussels and took over the artistic direction and programming of the National Orchestra of Belgium. From 1996 to 2002 he represented the Philharmonic Society of Brussels in the European Concert Hall Organization, an international federation that unites the most important European Arts Centers. In January 2002, Dujardin became deputy director and artistic director of the Center for Fine Arts in Brussels. His alma mater describes Dujardin as someone who has taken this federal institution out of the cobwebs and transformed it into a prestigious cultural house without barriers. After ten years at the helm, he considers the renewal " just beginning. " Today, the CFA offers a wide range of events, including concerts, exhibitions, and debates as well as festivals and events linked to film, literature, and theatre. Under his direction, BOZAR has blossomed into a veritable Agora, a space where citizens, cultural players, politicians, and individuals from various disciplines can meet, exchange ideas and debate. A fervent defender of the European project, Paul Dujardin has worked tirelessly to ensure that BOZAR becomes an essential actor within the domain of international cultural exchange and a defender of the European cultural values at the core of the European project. This commitment is evident in the active role that BOZAR plays in the European research initiative “The role of culture in EU external relations,” as well as the extensive cooperation with a network of partner organizations including the Goethe Institut, Culture Action Europe, EUNIC, the European Cultural Foundation and the European Foundation Centre. Paul is President of the Direction Committee of the “New Narrative for Europe” project: an initiative of the European parliament implemented in collaboration with the European Commission launched to reinforce and promote the fundamental values related to science and culture). He also advocates in favor of giving culture a more important role in EU foreign affairs as an instrument of ‘soft power.’
