See also: Mathey

François Mathey was preserving as a chief with the Musée of decorative Arts with Paris in the years 1955 with 1986.

To one time when there did not exist, to Paris, of museum of Modern art worthy of this name, it was announced while organizing to decorative Arts of remarkable traditional expositions to artists of the 20th century. It also creates the Center of industrial creation (CCI), which was integrated thereafter into the National center of art and culture Georges-Pompidou.

At the request of Gaetan Picon, managing director of Arts and Letters, François Mathey proposed in 1960 to create in Paris a “contemporary Art gallery”, left anti-museum organized on the basis of very strict historical selection, to present in a revolving way of contemporary works in order to emphasize the artistic topicality, without will to constitute a permanent collection.

It formed then part of the team, directed by Robert Bordaz, charged conceiving and with carrying out the future National center of art and culture Georges-Pompidou.

In 1972, he was the general police chief of the famous exposure of the Large palace “Twelve years of contemporary art in France, 1960-1972” (known as “72-72”), which caused the scandal.