Although long downplayed, the cultural tropisms of the former President of the Republic testify to this immense cultural revolution that led 20^th century Europe to gradually rid itself of its ethnocentrism and to consider distant cultures with greater interest and respect. This cultural profile drawn up for the museum's tenth anniversary provides an opportunity to (re)discover the former President of the Republic's passion for Asia, and for Japan in particular, and his little known interest in Pre-Colombian art, uncovered during the exhibition "Taïno" in 1994 at the Petit Palais.

More than fifty dates mark the visitor's itinerary, fifty milestones that connect French, European and world political and cultural history with both the professional and personal positions and choices of the French politician. And to illustrate the specific stakes involved in each of these events, 200 works from international public and private collections (paintings, photographs, documents, sculptures, etc.) have been brought together, creating a dialogue between the man and his century.