Jean-Claude Arnault

Arnault in Stockholm District Court on the last day of the trial, 24 September 2018

Jean-Claude Arnault ([aʁno]; born 15 August 1946), known in Swedish media as "the cultural profile" (Swedish: kulturprofilen),[1][2] is a French-Swedish photographer and convicted rapist, who became widely known after several accusations of sexual assault levelled against him precipitated a scandal resulting in the resignations of members of the Nobel Committee and the postponement of the 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature. These events occurred against the background of the Me Too movement. In 2018, he was convicted of rape and sentenced to two years in prison. [3][4] He was formerly artistic director of the cultural center Forum – Nutidsplats för kultur ("Forum – Contemporary Scene of Culture") at Sigtunagatan 14 in Stockholm.

Life

Arnault was born in Marseille, France. He won Natur & Kultur's cultural award in 2008.[5] He is married to Swedish Academy member Katarina Frostenson.[6]

Sexual assault allegations and rape conviction

In November 2017, in the context of the Me Too movement, eighteen women accused Arnault of sexual assault, which led to the Swedish Academy breaking all financial ties with him.[7][8] Swedish media has reported that he groped Swedish Crown Princess Victoria at an academy event in 2006.[9]

Simultaneously, his wife Katarina Frostenson was accused of corruption for not informing the academy about conflicts of interest when distributing subsidies for her husband's cultural center. The Swedish academy believes he has leaked the Nobel Prize literature winners in seven cases.[6]

Arnault denied all allegations.[10][11] On 1 October 2018, Arnault was convicted of one count of rape and sentenced to two years in prison as well as a SEK 115,000 fine.[12][4] Arnault's attorney plans to appeal.[13]

Repercussions

In the wake of the accusations, Swedish Academy member Klas Östergren left the academy and academy members Sara Danius, Peter Englund, Kjell Espmark and Frostenson ceased taking part in the academy's work, leading to concerns about the future of the academy.[14] On 27 April 2018, Sara Stridsberg left the academy[15] in solidarity with Sara Danius. Due to the scandal and a perceived tarnishing of the Nobel Committee's reputation, the Nobel Prize in Literature was postponed until 2019.[16][17][18] The New Academy Prize in Literature was created as an alternative to the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature.[19]

References

  1. ↑ Nobel Prize Judges Face Crisis 'Worse Than One Can Imagine' After Resignations, NPR
  2. ↑ Scandal in Sweden: Nobel prize for literature faces #MeToo moment, The Guardian
  3. ↑ Henley, Jon (1 October 2018). "Jean-Claude Arnault, man at centre of Nobel scandal, jailed for rape". the Guardian.
  4. 1 2 Malmgren, Kim; Wikström, Mattis (1 October 2018). "Jean-Claude Arnault döms till två års fängelse" [Jean-Claude Arnault sentenced to two years in prison]. Expressen. Expressen. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  5. ↑ "Tidigare års kulturpristagare - Natur och Kultur". www.nok.se.
  6. 1 2 Flood, Alison (4 May 2018). "Nobel prize in literature 2018 cancelled after sexual assault scandal". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  7. ↑ "Uppgifter: Kulturprofilen läckte Nobelpristagare - Nyheter (Ekot)". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). Retrieved 2017-12-04.
  8. ↑ "Jean-Claude Arnaults maktspel – hot, löften och misstänkta övergrepp". Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 2017-12-04.
  9. ↑ Noack, Rick (May 4, 2018). "Nobel literature prize canceled this year, following academy's own #MeToo scandal". Washington Post. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  10. ↑ "Sara Stridsberg lämnar Svenska Akadamien". Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  11. ↑ "Photographer 'groped' princess at Swedish Academy event - BBC News". Bbc.com. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  12. ↑ Lindkvist, Hugo (1 October 2018). "Kulturprofilen döms till fängelse för våldtäkt" [The cultural profile sentenced to prison for rape]. Dagens Nyheter. Dagens Nyheter. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  13. ↑ Trus, Helena (1 October 2018). "Kulturprofilens advokat: Stor risk att han fälls". Aftonbladet. Aftonbladet. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  14. ↑ "Chair no. 13 - Sara Stridsberg". The Swedish Academy. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  15. ↑ Editorial, Reuters. "Swedish Academy misconduct crisis deepens as member Stridsberg leaves". Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  16. ↑ Henley, Jon; Flood, Alison (4 May 2018). "Nobel prize in literature 2018 cancelled after sexual assault scandal". the Guardian.
  17. ↑ "Rape charges in Nobel Prize scandal". 12 June 2018 – via www.bbc.com.
  18. ↑ Brown, Andrew (17 July 2018). "The ugly scandal that cancelled the Nobel prize" – via www.theguardian.com.
  19. ↑ Löfgren, Emma (29 August 2018). "Four writers shortlisted for 'the new Nobel Literature Prize'". The Local. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
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