Ordre des Arts et des Lettres

The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (the Order of Arts and Letters) is an Order (decoration) of France, established on May 2, 1957 by the Minister of Culture in recognition of outstanding achievement in the arts and literature.

Related Topics:
Order (decoration) - France - May 2 - 1957

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French recipients must be at least 30 years old, must respect French civil law, and must have "significantly contributed to the enrichment of the French cultural inheritance", according to French government guidelines. Recipients from outside France may be allowed into the Order "without condition of age".

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The Order has three ranks:

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• Commandeur (Commander) - wears the badge on a necklet;
• Officier (Officer) - wears the badge on a ribbon with rosette on the left chest;
• Chevalier (Knight) - wears the badge on a ribbon on the left chest.

The badge of the Order is an eight-armed, green-enamelled "asterisk", in gilt for commanders and officers, in silver for knights; the obverse central disc has the letters "A" and "L" on a white enamelled background, surrounded by a golden ring bearing the words "République Française" (Republic of France}. The reverse central disc features the head of Marianne on a golden background, surrounded by a golden ring bearing the words "Ordre des Arts et des Lettres". The commander's badge is topped by a gilt twisted ring.

Related Topics:
Gilt - Marianne

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The ribbon of the Order is green with four white stripes.

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Anglophone and non-French recipients include Louis Cha, William Faulkner, James Joyce, Jackson Pollock, David Bowie, Allen Ginsberg, John Coolidge Adams, Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jessye Norman, Tony Curtis, Lisa Appignanesi, Elfi von Dassanowsky, Michael Cimino, Oscar Peterson, Danielle Steel, Paul Anka and Bruce Willis.

Related Topics:
Louis Cha - William Faulkner - James Joyce - Jackson Pollock - David Bowie - Allen Ginsberg - John Coolidge Adams - Meryl Streep - Robert Redford - Leonardo DiCaprio - Jessye Norman - Tony Curtis - Lisa Appignanesi - Elfi von Dassanowsky - Michael Cimino - Oscar Peterson - Danielle Steel - Paul Anka - Bruce Willis

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