Florence Ménard
 'Dragon Lady' by Florence Ménard |  'Angel's Eyes' by Florence Ménard |
|---|---|
 'Tears of Compassion' by Florence Ménard |
In her capacity as co-founder of The Vienna Academy of Visionary Art, Florence Ménard is able to combine many years of professional experience with a deep appreciation of Visionary Art. Florence Ménard’s strong organisational skills are a great asset to the Academy while her experience in Communications is ideal for promoting classical education in a new genre of art. She also uses her years of experience to teach students ‘the ins and outs’ of how the Art Media works, during our year-end course on Artist Promotion.
Inspired by all the Visionary Artists around her, she decided to start painting in 2013 during the Visions in the Mischtechnik Seminar that she had co-organised with her husband Laurence Caruana, just before they created The Vienna Academy of Visionary Art. Something magical happened with the brush, and she'll always remember that feeling. Since then, she hasn't stopped painting and deeply exploring her inner world, while managing the Academy. Hence her motto: "it's never too late to start painting!"
Born two hundred kilometres outside of Paris in Le Mans (France), Florence Ménard obtained a university degree in Business Management at l’École de Gestion et de Commerce, Le Mans, then studied Art History at l’École du Louvre in Paris. With professional experience in England and Germany, she is a fluent speaker of French, English and German.
In the year 2000, she became Ernst Fuchs’ personal assistant, co-ordinating operations between the Monaco-based studio and the Vienna-based villa and foundation. It was also during that time that she translated Laurence Caruana's Manifesto of Visionary Art into French.
Upon her return to Paris, she began a long career in Communications, specialising as a Press Liaison and Events Manager in the Arts. With clients as diverse as the Grand Palais, the Musée du Luxembourg, and the French Ministry of Culture, she promoted major exhibitions (Botticelli, l’École de Barbizon), art fairs (Art en Capital) and book releases (Rodin, Klimt, Schiele) to French journalists in television, radio and the press.
Working both in agencies and freelance, her more interesting projects included the Ministry of Culture’s Awards for Master Crafstmen (Maîtres d’Art) and the Cathedral of Nevers’ inauguration of its new stained glass windows. She has also worked for la Galerie d’Art Visionnaire de Paris and Chimeria: Festival des Arts Visionnaires, Sedan, promoting Visionary art to the French media.