The award ceremony took place at the headquarters of the Institut Fran&ccedil";“ais in Valencia and was presided by Alain Fohr, Cultural Advisor to the French Embassy in Spain, and director of the Institut Fran&ccedil”;“ais, who bestowed the medal on the two new Chevaliers de l&rsquo”;"Ordre des Arts et des Lettres at noon.

Established in 1957, the Ministry&rsquo";“s Order of Arts and Letters comprises three degrees: knight, officer and commander. The recipients are announced by the French Minister of Culture and Communication after the decision has been issued by the Order&rsquo”;“s Council. The conditions under which this distinction is awarded are established by official decree, and state that the purpose of the institution is &ldquo”;“to reward those who have distinguished themselves through their creative work in the realm of culture and communication, or by their contribution to the propagation of the arts and letters in France and the rest of the world&rdquo”;".

José Lebrero Stals (Barcelona, 1954) has been artistic director of Museo Picasso Málaga since October 2009. He was previously the director of Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo in Seville for six years, and served as Head Conservator at the Exhibition Department of Museu d’Art Contemporani in Barcelona from 1996 to 2002.