France was the first to institutionalize cultural diplomacy by translating symbolic gestures into public policy. The Alliance Française was founded in Paris in 1883, and the first Institut français opened in Florence in 1907; the model soon spread (Athens, Barcelona, etc.). The interwar period was a turning point: the French Association for Artistic Expansion and Exchange (AFEEA) was founded in 1922 and recognized as a public utility in 1923. That same year, the idea of a cultural network (academics, curators, conservatory directors, playwrights, critics) emerged and soon became essential to successful projects.