 | Monsieur Victor GINSBURGH Victor Ginsburgh passed away, and I am left with one overwhelming feeling: deep sadness. He was a dear friend and co-author. Over the years, we wrote several scientific articles together, but what truly stands out is not only his intellectual brilliance, but the person behind the scholar. Victor was an exceptional professor, a rigorous and original academic, and one of the sharpest minds in the field of Cultural Economics. He was also a great conversationalist, an even better polemicist, and—without a doubt—the most genuine curmudgeon our discipline has ever known.
Working with Victor was a masterclass in economics, but also in life. His ability to challenge ideas, question assumptions, and push for clarity was unmatched. He never settled for easy answers, and that relentless pursuit of truth shaped not only our research but also my own way of thinking. Yet beyond the academic debates and the countless drafts exchanged, what I treasure most are the lessons about friendship that I learned from him.
Those lessons were often taught far from lecture halls or conference rooms, but around a table, with a good bottle of wine and endless conversations that flowed from art and literature to politics and philosophy. His mind was sharp, his arguments fierce, but his loyalty and generosity as a friend were even stronger.
Victor leaves behind an extraordinary academic legacy, but also a personal one: the reminder that knowledge matters, that ideas matter, but that friendship matters most. For that, and for so much more, I will always be grateful.
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