Alexandre Lenoir

Marie Alexandre Lenoir (* December 27, 1762 in Paris, † June 11, 1839 same place ) was a French archaeologist. As a passionate self-taught, he was a connoisseur of French medieval art and strove during the French Revolution about sustaining famous monuments such as Saint- Denis and Sainte -Geneviève from destruction. His role as an art historian and archaeologist and curator and founder of the Musée des Monuments français is not without controversy.

Life

Alexandre Lenoir had studied painting under Gabriel François Doyen. This was in 1789 appointed to the Commission of the Arts, which should seek in the wake of the destruction of historic monuments due to vandalism and neglect during the beginning of the French Revolution, to preserve important works of art. As depots for the salvaged works of art, the Hotel des Nesle and the former convent of the Petits Augustins were determined, was appointed to the head of Lenoir at the instigation Doyen and Mayor of Paris 1791. After 1793, the Louvre opened as a new Musée Central des Arts, which presented only classic and contemporary art, Lenoir was his harshest critic and began to set up a separate Museum of medieval art use.

During the increasingly radical revolution, he has remained committed to the recovery of historical evidence one, as some tombs of the kings of France from Saint- Denis but also works of art from all over France, although he thus went himself in danger. In 1796 he finally succeeded in Petits Augustins the Museum of Antiquities and Monuments Français (short: Musée des Monuments français) to open. It was the first public museum in his presentation followed a strictly chronological order and only exhibited works of art of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in France. In particular, the arrangement of the objects in appropriately designed " period rooms " was exceptional and should influence many museum conceptions of the 19th century.

Since the scientific standards and understanding of medieval art after 1800 began to change in the general public, came the (sometimes crude ) conservational methods Lenoir increasing criticism, as in Quatremère de Quincy Considérations morales. After the fall of Napoleon and the return of stolen works of art from the Louvre ordered Louis XVIII. , To let bring back many of the works of art in Lenoir Museum to their original location. This prompted Lenoir to a defense, in which he describes the circumstances of vandalism during the Revolution and abhorred in part, with which he had a large influence on the subsequent perception of cultural crimes during the revolutionary period.

His wife Adélaïde, born Binart, (1771-1832) exhibited in the Salon at Lenoir's name.

Significance and criticism

Despite Lenoir's far-reaching power to the rescue of monuments throughout France during the revolutionary period he came under severe criticism and in disrepute. Among other things, he used his influence and left monuments which were not endangered, in his museum bring (such as the bones of the poet ) to create public attractions. He had not only restored monuments, but also change, newly composed and forge to create harmonious and evocative museum halls can.

Works

• Histoire des arts en France, prouvée par les monuments. Suivie d'une description chronologique of statues en marbre et en bronze, bas - reliefs et des hommes et des femmes tombeaux célèbres, rénuis au Musée des monuments français impérial. Hacquart, Paris 1810
• Recueil de inedits portraits des hommes et des femmes qui ont la France sous illustré differens règnes, dont les originaux sont dans Conserves ledit musée. Paris 1809.
• Description historique et chronologique des monuments de sculpture, réunis au Musée des monuments français. Musée des monuments français, 4 volumes, Paris V de la République [ 1795-1806 ].
• Musée des monuments français: histoire de la peinture sur verre, et anciens et modernes description of vitraux, pour servir à l' histoire de l'art, ment relative à la France; ornée de gravures, et notamment de celles de la fable de Cupidon et Psyché, d'après les dessins de Raphael. L' Imprimerie de Guilleminet, Paris 1803.
• Musée des monuments français impérial: histoire des arts en France, et chronologique description of the statues en marbre et en bronze, bas - reliefs et des hommes et des femmes tombeaux célèbres, qui sont dans ce musée réunis. Hacquart, Paris 1810.