Public Action, Private Creation. In spite of the recent blossoming of cultural sponsoring by private business, artistic creation in France is still dominated by public action. Comparing with the IIIrd Republic only reinforces this view ; in those times public/private duality was founded on a clear and well - balanced separation between the two sectors. The present situation is more complex, and examining it shows that there is no real reason to fear the seizure of culture by the State. In fact, the wearing out of cultural democratization as a way of legitimizing public action, leads government to redefine it’s role in integrating market requirements.