 Heavily involved in the "projet Grand Louvre", he was the first to hold the role of director (formerly known as Conservateur) of the Louvre between 1987 and 1995.From 1972, he also championed the idea of turning Paris's gare d'Orsay into a museum, and became its head conservator on its opening in 1986.He took part in the creation of France's "Institut national d'histoire de l'art" between 1995 and 2000, becoming its next "vice-président scientifique".