Jeudi 23 février 2012
Last update on 22/02/2012
Last update on 22/02/2012
The latest news in the History of Western Art from the Middle Ages to the 1930's
Château d’Ancenis : Frédéric Mitterand and his Responsibilities 01/02/2012
A little over a year ago we had asked the following question in a series of articles : "what use are the laws on historical monuments ?". One of them discussed the château d’Ancenis, threatened by the Conseil Général de Loire-Atlantique, with the (...)
Jean-Jacques Aillagon States his Position on the Versailles PLU Project 01/02/2012
We spoke with Jean-Jacques Aillagon about the PLU Project for the city of Versailles and as we found his position on the subject particularly interesting, we asked him two questions which he graciously accepted to (...)
Versailles City Hall Blunders on the SDRIF 27/01/2012
We have already explained here why the argument presented by the Mayor of Versailles claiming the Schéma directeur de la région d’Ile-de-France (SDRIF) as a truly restrictive document cannot be taken seriously. We can now definitely prove that it (...)
The Curious Response from Versailles City Hall 19/01/2012
The response from Versailles City Hall to our articles, published here, is interesting. First of all because it does not bring into question any of our conclusions concerning the PLU, that is notably its consequences in terms of density and (...)
The Response of Versailles City Hall concerning the PLU 18/01/2012
Upon reading the two articles in La Tribune de l’Art, it would seem that a certain number of legal points have not been taken into consideration. We find it useful to provide a few more enlightening remarks which will help readers to better (...)
The Plan Local d’Urbanisme in Versailles : from bad to worse 16/01/2012
The Versailles Municipal Council, on 24 November 2011, approved a revision of the Plan Local d’Urbanisme [Local Zoning Plan]. The city is therefore determined to implement its project consisting in replacing its current reversible zoning policy (...)
Eyewitness Reports from Cairo after the Fire at the Institut d’Egypte 02/01/2012
As reported extensively in the media, last 17 december a fire broke out at the Institut Egyptien during the clashes between demonstrators and police. We have not yet commented on this sad event as we had no precise information concerning the (...)
The nuisance of billboards 18/01/2011
The Opera is now hidden, as is the Musée d’Orsay, by a gigantic billboard, while a similar advertisement draws the eye of passers-by at the corner of the rue Saint-Honoré and rue de Richelieu, at the other end of the Avenue de l’Opéra within the (...)
Giant billboards : Paris is just like Venice 06/01/2011
Four years ago, the Code du patrimoine was modified by a law (issued by Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres…) authorizing, under very specific conditions, billboards to be hung over the canvases covering historical monuments during repairs. We had not (...)
Versailles and Fontainebleau : two projects for hotels inside historical monuments 26/12/2010
The latest trend is making historical monuments profitable. Although we are generally against the idea, which often accounts for many abuses, we must admit that in some cases, it is well justified. The projects for Versailles – which (...)
The state of churches in Paris (1) : Saint-Philippe-du-Roule 18/12/2010
This article inaugurates a new series devoted to Parisian churches. Although we often point out endangered religious sites, those here in the capital have escaped our attention thus far as we tend to assume that they are well (...)
« Hôtel de la Marine, a prestigious and exceptional building » 08/12/2010
We had illustrated several of the articles on the Hôtel de la Marine with a picture showing the façade of the monument bearing a large sign “To let. Very beautiful location”. Alas, reality is stranger than fiction : on the Budget Ministry’s (...)
Serres d’Auteuil : Bertrand Delanoë’s omissions, inaccuracies and untruths 28/11/2010
Françoise Hardy is one of over 22,000 persons who have thus far signed the petition against the Roland-Garros extension into the Serres d’Auteil. She has furthermore written a letter to the mayor of Paris protesting the (...)
The ZPPAUP are now only empty shells 15/11/2010
We have already discussed the elimination of the Zone of Protection for Architectural, Urban and Landscape Patrimony (ZPPAUP) on several occasions, and the fact that they have been replaced by the AVAP (Areas of Value enhancement for (...)
Venice overrun by giant billboards 30/10/2010
The situation is turning into a national scandal in Italy and an international petition has been launched by the British Committee for the Preservation of Venice, addressed to the Italian Cultural Minister, Sandro Bondi, signed by prestigious (...)
The Mayor of Paris willing to sacrifice the Serres d’Auteuil 29/10/2010
Those of you who have never visited the Serres d’Auteuil, should waste no time in discovering this magnificent landmark, significant for its historical heritage with its greenhouses built in 1897 by Camille Formigé as well as its extraordinary (...)
The zoo at Vincennes should not disappear ! 01/10/2010
The “parc zoologique de Paris”, which covers an area of 14.5 hectares (about 36 acres), in the heart of the Bois de Vincennes, closed to the public in 2008. Since then, the Museum, which manages the zoo, has launched a major renovations project (...)
The mayor of Lens wants to destroy a historical monument 05/09/2010
When the government and the Ministry of Culture decide to join forces, in an exemplary manner for once, and apply the law protecting historical monuments, we see just how useful it can be. A local elected official, Guy Delcourt, the mayor of (...)
The purpose of this series of articles is to prove, illustrating specific cases, that for the most part, and despite recent Parliamentary threats, French law provides satisfactory protection of our heritage if only those in charge of applying (...)
In 2003, the chateau of Luneville was partly destroyed by fire causing many people to express their dismay, including politicians who had until then never showed any interest in this 18th century masterpiece and which is now undergoing (...)
What use are the laws protecting historical monuments ? (2) : the amphitheatre in Fréjus 03/07/2010
The Art Tribune theoretically does not cover the field of Antiquity but our continuing fight against vandalism forces us today to denounce the project, sponsored by the Direction Régionale des Monuments Historiques and therefore by the Ministry (...)
Threat of demolition for the church of Saint Jacques in Abbeville 30/05/2010
The church of Saint Jacques in Abbeville is located in a neighborhood spared by the bombings which destroyed 80% of the city in 1940. It was built in a neo-Gothic style by the architect Victor Deleforterie, a follower of Viollet-le-Duc, on the (...)
What use are the laws protecting historical monuments ? (1) : the château d’Ancenis 30/05/2010
French legislation protecting historical monuments, despite some recent attacks, should allow us to still preserve our heritage in an effective manner if only it were applied consistently when needed. This article will inaugurate a new series (...)
The Louis Daguerre Diorama is reborn in Bry-sur-Marne 26/05/2010
Not content with having invented the photographic process bearing his name, the painter Louis Daguerre also created the Diorama, a theatrical method by which an immense canvas painted on both sides was animated by lights (...)
After the two Poussin affairs, it’s now Friedrich’s turn 13/03/2010
While traveling through Germany in 1834, David d’Angers visited Caspar David Frierdrich in his Dresden workshop. He writes in his travel journal
Wintzenheim, more vandalism in the offing ? 03/12/2009
The Alsatian community of Wintzenheim, near Colmar, had made the news sadly a few months ago in devastating the exterior sculptures of the Hertzog chapel (see article). A Neo-Gothic construction built between 1860 and 1862, it was in fact (...)
Concrete question : how to mortgage the Hôtel de la Marine ? 24/10/2009
A meeting involving various ministries was held last 15 September with the purpose of determining the “Valorization of the Hôtel de la Marine”. In the minds of our political leaders, this monument built by Gabriel is now in fact only an asset to (...)
In Alexandria, the Villa Aghion by the Perret brothers gutted ! 13/10/2009
During the night of 28 August 2009, after several years of quiet fighting, fate finally struck and the Villa Aghion built by the Perret brothers in Alexandria in 1926-1927 was gutted by bulldozers, in total disregard of Egyptian (...)
The restoration of the Hôtel Lambert goes to court before the Tribunal Administratif 06/09/2009
Louis Le Vau Hôtel Lambert, courtyard Photo : SCI Hôtel Lambert / M. Lombard This summer the Hôtel Lambert case took a surprising legal turn. The authorization permit issued by the Ministry of Culture (see news item of 23/6/09) was appealed (...)
Vandalism of a Neo-gothic chapel in Alsace 06/09/2009
The Herzog chapel in the Logelbach district of Zintzenheim, near Colmar, bears the name of its commissioners, an industrialist family headed by Antoine Herzog (1786-1861) and his sons Antoine (1816-1892) and Eugène (...)
Disappeared in 1763, now claimed by the Ministry of Culture ! 12/07/2009
Among the more delicate cases awaiting the attention of the new Minister of Culture, Frédéric Mitterand, one has not yet been talked about but should soon make the headlines in the world of French cultural (...)
The Hôpital Richaud, soon in ruins in the heart of Versailles 30/04/2009
Visitors to the château de Versailles who arrive at the Rive-Droite train station walk by a superb 18th century monument, the Hôpital Richaud.
Baltard to be destroyed (bis repetita) 20/04/2009
True, in this case the buildings do not concern Victor Baltard, but his father Louis-Pierre. However, the parallel is overwhelming
Prison Saint-Joseph by Louis-Pierre Baltard 20/04/2009
The Saint Joseph prison in Lyon by Louis-Pierre Baltard is doubly important in the history of architecture. First of all, along with the palace of justice by the same Baltard, this is one of the most important 19th century monuments in this (...)
French government to sell off Notre Dame in Paris ! 01/04/2009
Façade of future L… M… Water World (before restoration), Paris Photo : Wikipedia We know that the French government, desperately in need of money, is selling off whatever it can. After the Hôtel de la Marine, it was obvious that this (...)
Hôtel de la Marine : will France go to the highest bidder ? 31/03/2009
In this very discreet fiftieth anniversary of the Ministry of Culture, French citizens should feel the duty to gather support in defense of their national heritage, in this case the Hôtel de l’Etat-Major de la Marine and those projects which the (...)
Hôtel Lambert : the benefits of the controversy 15/03/2009
Louis Le Vau (1612-1670) Paris, Hôtel Lambert Photo : D. Rykner On Monday 9 March, during a four-hour marathon session, the Commission supérieure des monuments historiques validated, with extensive reservations, the restoration project for the (...)
Is France going to get rid of the Hôtel de la Marine ? 28/02/2009
Try to imagine one of the most beautiful historical monuments, on one of the most majestic squares in the world, in the capital of a major industrialized country at the outset of the 21st (...)
The restoration of the Hôtel de la Marine in Paris 28/02/2009
Built between 1757 and 1774, the Hôtel de la Marine, former Garde-meuble (furniture storage house for the Crown) is one of the most important historical monuments in Paris, not only for its façade by Jacques-Ange Gabriel, but also for its décor (...)
The chief architect at Fontainebleau dismissed 11/01/2009
A year ago, we had denounced on this same site the ongoing scandal at the chateau de Fontainebleau where the Chief Architect for Monuments Historiques (ACMH), Jacques Moulin, “was restoring” in his own manner the Quartier Henri IV, notably by (...)
Restorations and casts : from the Phlegmatic Man to the Bath of Apollo 05/10/2008
Las July, with relatively little fanfare, the Bath of Apollo group was finally brought inside the Petite Ecurie. A longtime Versailles lover, Claude Rozier, was there and took several photographs of the removal. We had pointed out the danger to (...)
Versailles is currently in the spotlight : the reconstitution of the Grille Royale, a controversial exhibition of Jeff Koons, the restoration of the Petit Trianon…We had written a very critical in 2006 about the management of the Domain which had (...)
Sale of a decorative set by Henri Martin from a public building in Béziers 09/06/2008
1. Henri Martin (1860-1943) Rural Idyll at the Etang de Thau, 1932 Oil on canvas - 198.1 x 339.6 cm Béziers, Chambre de Commerce To be sold in London at Christie’s 25 June 2008 On 25 June 2008, Christie’s London will auction off a cycle of (...)
The furnishings at the château de Sassenage on the auction block by the Fondation de France 25/05/2008
1. Château de Sassenage, Isère, France Photo : Badhy, Wikimedia Commons Next May 30th the Hôtel Drouot auction house will put up a major portion of the furnishings of the château de Sassenage, in Isère (ill. 1), for sale unless something is done (...)
An update on Versailles 26/12/2007
1. Jean-Jacques Aillagon’s press conference in Versailles, on 11 December, 2007 On the left, Denis Berthomier, general administrator On the right, Pierre Arizzoli-Clémentel, general director Photo : D. Rykner Six months after his (...)
An interview with Alexandre Gady, art historian and vice-president of Momus 12/12/2007
You are the vice-president of Momus. Can you tell us something about the association ? Momus was founded in 1993 as a national forum to debate on general problems (doctrines, ethics, etc.) related to our cultural heritage. Our activities (...)
Fontainebleau is not Schönbrunn 08/11/2007
1. Château of Fontainebleau Quartier Henri IV, north wing, northern façade overlooking the city Current state. The entire façade is painted yellow Photo : D. Rykner (30 August 2007) A section of the château of Fontainebleau, known as the (...)
A visit to Blérancourt 29/08/2007
Today, August 29, the excavation site for the château de Blérancourt saw a flurry of activity. This morning, the representatives of The American Friends of Blérancourt came to check progress on the digging and see the ruins that had already been (...)
Vestiges of Salomon de Brosse’s castle discovered at Blérancourt 24/08/2007
1. Israël Silvestre (1621-1691) View of the château of Blérancourt Estampe The château of Blérancourt was built from 1612 to 1619 by Salomon de Brosse, one of the most important architects in France at the beginning of the XVIIth C. who had (...)
The destruction of France’s churches 24/05/2007
In November 2006, we spoke out against the demolition of the church in Saint-Georges-des Gardes, in Maine-et-Loire. An article in Le Figaro May 18, 2007 informs us that two other religious buildings are to be destroyed just a few kilometres away (...)
