A History of Art through the Concept of the Art Collection

In this course, I propose to lead students through a different history of French art. It will be centered on the phenomenon of the art collection. The aim will be to tackle the artistic production during the centuries from the Middle Ages to the present day.
Certain questions will enable to reveal the evolutions of the trends in artistic creation: Who collects art? For what reasons? What art is collected? How were those art collections perceived by the society that had given birth to them? Following a chronological logic, this course will highlight the “self-questioning” of each period of French history with regards to its artistic production.
The objective of the course is also to make students aware of the great issues of the history of French art. Learning supports used will be art images of course, historical and critical texts, film/video extracts and also visits to museums and monuments. Learning to observe and to analyze artworks, as well as its enjoyment and delight, will be integral parts of the apprehension of this artistic heritage.