(left to right) French Consul General Christopher Lemoine, Jean and Linda Stern

Irvine Museum Executive Director Jean Stern recently received a significant award that honors his lifelong work in the visual arts.

On Wednesday, September 13, the renowned Jean Stern, executive director of the Irvine Museum Collection at the University of California, Irvine, received the Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters during a grand ceremony. The award was presented by the French Consul General Christophe Lemoine.

Established by the French government in 1957, and confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963, the Order is the highest award presented by the French government that exclusively recognizes meritorious achievement in the arts and literature. The award honors eminent artists and writers, as well as people who have contributed significantly to furthering arts in France and throughout the world. No more than 200 individuals worldwide can receive this honor annually. American recipients of the award include Paul Auster, George Clooney, Ornette Coleman, Philip Glass, Agnes Gund, Marilyn Horne, Jim Jarmusch, James Lipton, Richard Meier, Robert Paxton, Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, and Uma Thurman.

In particular, Stern is recognized for devoting his professional career to documenting, teaching and exhibiting the paintings of the California Impressionist period, circa 1890-1940.

All of us at Streamline Publishing and PleinAir nagazine extend our congratulations to Jean on a well-deserved honor!

This article was featured in PleinAir Today, a weekly e-newsletter from PleinAir magazine. To start receiving PleinAir Today for free, click here.


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