Culture of France

Arts are a very strong form of culture for the French. They have managed to cultivate many famous artists like Edgar Degas, Francis Picabia and Claude Monnet, just to name a few.

Claude Monnet

La-Prominade by Claude Monnet

Cave painting in Lascaux

French art initially started with paintings in the caves of Lascaux well over 10,000 years ago. The caves are located near the village of Montignac which contains some of the most famous Upper Paleolithic (Late Stone Age) art. These paintings are usually of large mammals, where majority of them lived in the area of the painters. In 1979, Lascaux made its way into the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 Film)



France has also produced one of the most outstanding authors- Victor Hugo. His most popular novel is the 'Hunchback of Notre Dame' published in 1831. I'm sure many of us have seen in the form of a cartoon produced by Walt Disney, even if we did read the novel itself.








France being an ideal hub for both artists as well as art-lovers, are home to thousands of museums. Their most famous museum would be the Louvre Museum. The Louvre Museum is one of the world's largest museum as well as the most visited museum. It is a historic monument located in Paris. They have art collections ranging from America, India, China, etc. They have also been home to world renowned works like the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and the Victory of Samothrace.

Mona Lisa

Venus de Milo



Victory of Samothrace

Moving on, what is the first thing that people think of when they think about France? For most, these 2 items would have most probably came to mind first..

..Yes they are none other than the infamous cheese and wine of france. Cheese and wine has been a very important part of the French culture. Putting it into context, cheese and wine is basically like bread and water for them. It has become a part of their daily lives. A simple French fare could be just a baguette eaten with cheese, and accompanied with inexpensive wine. There are currently 400 over kinds of cheeses, and France produces 7-8 billion bottles of wine per year. This shows how large and important the cheese and wine industry is to France.

Everyone nowadays are going for the latest fashion trends. And what better place is there to start with than Paris? Paris is regarded as the 'Fashion Capital of the World'. Numerous fashion shows take place in Paris frequently and as such, has taken a great role in the culture of France. In addition, people from all walks of life go to Paris just for the purpose of seeing their fashion shows. Mega fashion magazine 'Elle' also originated from France.



Louis Vuitton Fashion Runway in Paris

Elle Magazine

Values are a part of every culture, and France is no exception. I'm sure many of us have the impression that then French are very liberal and may not be too stringent when it comes to family matters. However, families play a critical part in the society and the French family members have different roles and responsibilities to take up. The extended family usually plays a part by providing emotional and financial support. In addition, although the French may give us the impression that they are hardcore romantics, they actually have a very practical view towards marriage.

To the many avid soccer fans out there, I'm sure that there is a great number of supporters for the French National Team. In 1998, France was chosen as the host nation for the FIFA World Cup. Moreover, the tournament was also won by them, the host country. That year marks the first time France has won the title, making them the seventh nation to win the World Cup. Subsequently, France has never failed to perform in the upcoming World Cup matches, and are a force to be reckoned with. Bringing it down to a lower level, sports are actually very strongly engaged in in France. And soccer takes the top spot for the most loved sport in the country.

World Cup Champions 1998- France