French Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres told Le Monde over the weekend that he would love to keep his job under a Sarkozy presidency. So, with Ségolène Royal the main obstacle to that contract renewal, the minister's remarks in New Orleans while touring an art exhibit with Mayor Ray Nagin seemed, well, piquant.

First, a bit of background. "Femme, femme, femme: Paintings of Women in French Society from Daumier to Picasso," is part of the French government's large-scale cultural assistance to hurricane-ravaged New Orleans. Donnedieu de Vabres first paid an official visit to the city accompanied by Louvre president Henri Loyrette and other French dignitaries just two months after the 2005 storm. The aid has included funding for the restoration of New Orleans schools and historic homes, some of which date to the time when Louisiana was still French territory. France also gave local jazz musicians residencies in converted abbeys, or "cultural encounter centers," in the French countryside. The new exhibit at the New Orleans Museum of Art features 80 paintings, including works by Renoir, Degas, and Manet, on loan from 45 different French museums.

"It's all about beautiful French women, and that's extra special," gushed Nagin.

But Donnedieu de Vabres was, on one point, less than enthusiastic. According to Le Parisien newspaper, he stopped for a moment in front of a painting that showed a woman at the rudder of a boat. "Women who take power, right now, that's a problem in France," said the minister of culture.

Photo: Alex Brandon / AP