Inventing the Louvre: Art, Politics, and the Origins of the Modern Museum in Eighteenth-Century Paris

by Andrew McClellan

Founded in the final years of the Enlightenment, the Louvre―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 eighteenth-century Paris.

Genres: Art, Museology, History

302 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 1994

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a wealth of information, but to retain it you'll have to read it more than once.

[Emily Watlington · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read. I will say I expected it to interpret the history of the formation of the Louvre as a precedent for aspects of the modern museum, but rather it was a complete and detailed history that I enjoyed tremendously. It was very meticulously researched, thorough, and interesting. One warning: keeping track of which Frenchman is which throughout the book is not easy for those not already familiar with French history!