With a ceremony in Paris’s Dome of the Palais de l’Institut de France worthy of the grand achievement, this afternoon, Annie Leibovitz was inducted into the celebrated Académie des Beaux-Arts—a storied and discerning group created in 1816 and devoted to the humanities.

She joins as a international affiliate member of the Academy of High quality Arts, and for the event, Leibovitz wore a customized swimsuit by Nicolas Ghesquière, Louis Vuitton’s inventive director of the ladies’s collections. For her look, Ghesquière referenced males’s courtly apparel of the ancien régime with a black frock coat with gold embroidery. Following her induction, Leibovitz would decorate the swimsuit with the Académie’s ceremonial sword, an emblem of membership. Per the Académie, “Removed from being a harbinger of future battles, it’s a signal of existence, and due to this fact of respect.”

There to current Leibovitz with the award was Anna Wintour, who opened her remarks by sharing the esteem she has for the Académie, and referencing Leibovitz’s new accolade. “For a British or American particular person, the one factor extra daunting than a French style present is a French academy—and by an identical precept, the one factor extra intimidating than Annie Leibovitz is Annie Leibovitz brandishing a sword.”

Wintour went on to sing the praises of her longtime buddy and collaborator. “Who has escaped her lens? Not our president, or yours. Not the late Queen of England or the current King of Spain. Musicians, film stars, style designers, writers, artists, athletes, politicians of all stripes.”

“It’s clearly one of many nice honors of my life…and what makes this particularly significant is that images is represented within the Académie alongside work, sculpture, printmaking, cinema, dance, music, and structure,” Leibovitz informed the room, explaining that she takes the seat within the Académie previously held by the architect I.M. Pei.

The occasion featured a efficiency from Patti Smith, who sang “Peaceful Kingdom,” and a show of a few of Leibovitz’s best imagery, which reminded all in attendance of the pressure of her artistry.