PCA is Proud to Present Commencement Speaker: Sophie Walon

As the academic year draws to a close, excitement is building at Paris College of Art in anticipation of the upcoming graduation ceremony. A highlight of this annual celebration is the announcement of the Commencement Speaker—an individual whose journey, achievements, and insights serve to inspire the graduating class as they prepare to embark on the next chapter of their lives. This year, we are proud to unveil the distinguished speaker who will address both our Undergraduate and Graduate students at the ceremony.

After years of training in classical and contemporary dance, Sophie Walon pursued studies in literature, philosophy, and cinema at the École normale supérieure in Lyon as well as at the universities of Cambridge and Oxford. She worked as a critic for the Culture pages of Le Monde newspaper, then as a researcher and lecturer in the Department of History and Theory of Arts at the École normale supérieure in Paris from 2012 to 2017. She subsequently joined the Élysée Palace staff and became a speech advisor to the President of the Republic. In 2023, she joined the presidency of the Public Institution of the Orsay and Orangerie Museums, and today she is Chief of Staff at the Palace of Versailles.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​