Publication

1999 - University of California Press, Berkeley, Calif, California

Language

English

Word Count

75,500 words, Guess

Page Count

302 pages

Identifiers

and 2 more
  • Goodreads847551
  • LibraryThing234898

Classifications

  • DDC708.4/361
  • LCCN2030 .M34 1999

Description

Containing the greatest collection of Old Master paintings and antique sculpture ever assembled under one roof, the Louvre, founded in the final years of the Enlightenment, became the model for all state art museums subsequently established. This book chronicles the formation of this great museum, from its origins in the French royal picture collections to its apotheosis during the Revolution and Napoleonic Empire. More than a narrative history, Andrew McClellan's account explores the ideological underpinnings, pedagogic aims, and aesthetic criteria of the Louvre, as well as its contemporary, the Museum of French Monuments, which in complementary ways laid the foundation for the modern museum. Here, central and abiding questions of museum practice - arrangement of art works, lighting, restoration and conservation, public education and service to the state - were first defined and given visual expression . Drawing on much new archival material, this book also casts new light on the art world of eighteenth century Paris and its most colorful characters, from Roger de Piles and La Font de Saint-Yenne to Jacques-Louis David and Alexandre Lenoir.

Description

"The Louvre, founded in the final years of the Enlightenment--with the greatest collection of Old Master paintings and antique sculpture assembled under one roof--became the model for all state art museums subsequently established. Andrew McClellan chronicles the formation of this great museum from its origins in the French royal picture collections to its apotheosis during the Revolution and Napoleonic Empire. More than a narrative history, McClellan's account explores the ideological underpinnings, pedagogic aims, and aesthetic criteria of the Louvre. Drawing on new archival materials, McClellan also illuminates the art world of 18th-century Paris. Book jacket."--Jacket.

Subjects

Topics

ArtFranceHistoryHistoire708.4/361Art et ÉtatArt and state

Places

Times

Other Editions

  • Inventing the LouvreUniversity of California Press1999

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