The LVMH chairman is inducted into the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences, marking a rare convergence of cultural legacy, power, and luxury
Bernard Arnault has been formally inducted into France’s Academy of Moral and Political Sciences, earning the title of “Immortal” during a stately ceremony beneath the dome of the Institut de France in Paris. The occasion drew a cross-section of French civic life and global luxury leadership, with First Lady Brigitte Macron, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, and prominent industrial figures in attendance alongside a notable contingent of LVMH creatives, including Jonathan Anderson, Pharrell Williams, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Sarah Burton, and Victoire de Castellane. The gathering underscored Arnault’s singular position at the intersection of culture, commerce, and national identity.
The ceremony unfolded with deliberate pageantry. Arnault’s five children—Delphine, Antoine, Alexandre, Frédéric, and Jean—were seated together, while his wife, pianist Hélène Mercier-Arnault, joined the front row. He wore an embroidered ceremonial uniform designed by Jonathan Anderson for Dior, its abstracted olive-leaf detailing offering a contemporary interpretation of academic tradition. At the ceremony’s conclusion, Arnault was presented with a ceremonial sword conceived by the late architect Frank Gehry and realized by Chaumet. The sword’s handle, shaped like a flying fish and engraved with family references and symbolism tied to Christian Dior, served as both personal emblem and cultural artifact.
In his address, Arnault chose reflection over autobiography, paying tribute to Denis Kessler, his predecessor in the academy’s political economy chair. Recalling a formative trip to the United States in 1969, Arnault spoke of a generational awakening shaped by scale, freedom, and possibility. “For young people of our generation from the French provinces, the United States came as a breathtaking revelation — a land of scale and freedom. Accustomed as we were to walls and ceilings, hedgerows, narrow streets and winding roads, our eyes were suddenly opened,” he said. He continued, “On the flight home, we understood that everything — truly everything — was within reach, as long as we were willing to summon the energy, enthusiasm, optimism and determination we had seen so vividly on the other side of the Atlantic.”
Speakers throughout the ceremony traced the arc of Arnault’s career, from his early industrial roots to his role in shaping LVMH into the world’s largest luxury group. Former European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet described him as “a man in a hurry who knows where he’s going,” while former finance minister Bruno Le Maire drew attention to the symbolism of the sword itself, noting, “Imagination is more important than knowledge,” the Albert Einstein quote engraved along its blade. Together, the tributes framed Arnault not only as a builder of brands, but as a custodian of cultural continuity—one whose influence now extends beyond industry into the enduring institutions of the French state.
