Marseille museum president suspended amid harassment probe

The French Ministry of Culture has suspended Pierre-Olivier Costa, the president of Marseille's prominent Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (Mucem), amid investigations into allegations of sexual and psychological harassment. The ministry stated the suspension aims to restore confidence and dialogue within the institution.

Costa, 58, who previously served as a special advisor to President Emmanuel Macron and chief of staff to the first lady, Brigitte Macron, has led Mucem since 2022. His position became untenable following a report by the General Inspectorate of Cultural Affairs and a preliminary investigation launched by the Marseille Prosecutor's Office in March concerning alleged moral and sexual harassment.

An alert was initially raised in February through the ministry's platform for reporting psychosocial risks. A Mucem employee's testimony detailed acts of moral harassment attributed to management, as well as sexual harassment directly linked to Costa, according to reports by Le Monde.

Anne-Marie Le Guével, an inspector general of Cultural Affairs, will assume Costa's duties on an interim basis starting July 1. Mucem, inaugurated in 2013, is France's premier national museum dedicated to the history, culture, and anthropology of the Mediterranean basin, attracting between 1.2 and 1.4 million visitors annually.

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This suspension aims to restore a climate of trust and re-establish dialogue within the institution.