Katherine E. Fleming Named to the French Legion of Honor

Getty President and CEO Katherine E. Fleming was named to France’s National Order of the Legion of Honor in a ceremony in Paris on November 16.

It is the highest French order of merit, honoring those who have been of service to France.

Fluent in French, Fleming sits on the Administrative Board of the Chancellerie des Universités de Paris and on the Board of the Villa Albertine, a premiere French institution for arts and ideas with a presence in 10 cities across the United States, created by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. She was in residence at the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) in Paris from 2007–2011, where she held an associate professor position in the Department of History.

The Legion d’Honneur currently has 79,000 members. Since its inception in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, more than one million people worldwide have been honored with membership, including American-born performer Josephine Baker, Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, and French artist Rosa Bonheur.

“I’m humbled and frankly thrilled to join such impressive company and pleased to be of service to France in helping further its impressive cultural ties with the United States,” said Fleming, who served as provost of New York University before being appointed to lead the J. Paul Getty Trust earlier this year.

Fleming was named to the Legion of Honor in 2019 but the formal ceremony was delayed because of the pandemic.

“Katherine is a formidable visionary, passionate about advancing culture and education throughout every stage of her career. She has always been a great advocate for French–American cooperation, and an action-oriented global leader who fosters cultural exchange and mutual understanding between peoples,” said Bénédicte de Montlaur, president and CEO of World Monuments Fund.