For more than two decades, we have proudly supported the Association du Festival d’Automne à Paris, our longest-standing partnership. Founded in 1972, the Festival d’Automne is an international and interdisciplinary arts festival presenting bold and inventive new work in the performing and visual arts. The Association helps to produce and present groundbreaking works, support artists in taking creative risks, and bring inspiring performances to audiences in Paris and beyond.
As the Festival is in full swing in venues across Paris from September 4, 2025 to January 24, 2026, audiences of all ages and backgrounds can experience a vibrant lineup, from immersive installations and avant-garde theater to experimental music and innovative performances, bringing creativity and discovery to the heart of the city.
This feature brings together a word about the Association and Fesitval from Clémence Atallah, Secretary General for Philanthropy at the Festival d’Automne à Paris, alongside an interview with Henry and Barbara Pillsbury, American patrons of the Festival. This transatlantic support showcases how French-American philanthropy sustains world-renowned French arts initiatives.
Festival d’Automne – Word from Clémence Atallah
Multidisciplinary, international, and nomadic, the Festival d’Automne in Paris has been supporting artists by producing and presenting their work with a spirit of loyalty and discovery since 1972.
The Association du Festival d’Automne à Paris, founded in 1992, brings together individuals, foundations, and companies who support the Festival’s commitment to artistic creation and openness to the world. Showcasing new works, taking risks, supporting artists, and engaging audiences are founding principles that the Association share and champion. For over 30 years, they have worked collectively and with unwavering dedication to shape the Festival’s future.
Friends of Fondation de France’s support highlights the vital role of American philanthropy in France’s artistic landscape. Based in New York, the organization allows U.S. donors to support artists and institutions in France directly while benefiting from local tax advantages.
Active American patrons of the Festival d’Automne since 1999, Henry and Barbara Pillsbury perfectly illustrate this dynamic through their King’s Fountain Foundation.
This kind of philanthropy, facilitated by Friends of Fondation de France, goes beyond financial support—it becomes a true lever for nurturing new artistic forms, building cultural bridges, and ensuring works are sustainably embedded in France’s cultural scene.
– Clémence Atallah, Secretary General, in charge of Philanthropy at the Festival d’Automne à Paris
Their Story: Henry and Barbara Pillsbury
Henry and Barbara Pillsbury began supporting of the Festival in 1999 through the King’s Fountain foundation. In this 2015 interview with the Festival d’Automne, they describe their reasons for supporting the Festival.
Why did you choose to support the Festival d’Automne in Paris?
We became involved with the Festival because it allows us not only to stay connected to the world of creation but, more importantly, to be close to the production of new forms—whether in dance, theater, music, or visual arts. It’s invaluable!
Providing financial support for artistic production is essential today. With the Festival, our goal is to support one production each year by an artist willing to take creative risks. The Festival gives us this opportunity, and it is priceless.
What is your most memorable Festival experience?
It’s hard to choose, but off the top of our heads:
Discovering the American actor and director Joseph Chaikin, the videographer Bill Viola, and the director Silvia Costa; experiencing Martin Puryear’s magnificent sculptural installation at La Salpêtrière in 1999; finally, meeting Lia Rodrigues, one of the boldest artists we’ve ever encountered.
Thank You
Thanks to the generosity of U.S. donors, we are honored to continue our support of the Association du Festival d’Automne à Paris. Through this collaboration, we can ensure that French-American philanthropy continues to support artists in taking creative risks, enable audiences to discover inspiring new works, and reinforce strong cultural bridges between France and the U.S. for years to come.
