Mardi 19 février 2019
Last update on 2/11/2016
Last update on 2/11/2016
The latest news in the History of Western Art from the Middle Ages to the 1930's
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 (...)
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