VIOLLET-LE-DUC: The Visions of an Architect

Famous for his doctrine on restoration, for his archaeological science and his activity in the service of heritage, Eugène Viollet-le-Duc has also been recognized, since the 1970s, for his ideas on architectural creation supported by a singular structural and visionary rationalism.

An outstanding designer, teacher and politician, this man of multiple talents is revealed in an exhibition and an accompanying book: a strange and complex personality, mobilizing encyclopedic knowledge in the service of a political project as well as an aesthetic one. He is in every way a major figure of the French 19^th century.

Covering Viollet-le-Duc's training and his travels, as well as his restoration work, such as that of the Notre-Dame de Paris and Notre-Dame de Lausanne cathedrals, and even his creations such as the ephemeral decorations created for the baptism of the Imperial Prince, the exhibition and the catalog allow us to grasp the most unknown facets of this unclassifiable architect-designer.

Presenting an exceptional collection of drawings and documents from the Médiathèque de l’architecture et du patrimoine as well as his furniture, the pieces of goldsmithing that he designed for Notre-Dame de Paris, and his work relating to the critical dictionary of French architecture, this work, enriched with a chronology and an illustrated catalog of the works exhibited, offers an erudite and unique summary of the “Grand Duke”.

• 24 x 28.8 cm
• 240 pages
• 460 illustrations
• ISBN: 978-2-91554-2660

Text in French only

Sous la direction de Jean-Michel Leniaud et Laurence de Finance.

Jean-Michel Leniaud est historien de l’art, spécialiste de l’architecture et de l’art du xixe et du xxe siècle. Il est directeur de l’École nationale des chartes depuis 2011. Il est l’auteur de Viollet-le-Duc ou les délires du système, Éditions Mengès (1994), Les Bâtisseurs d’avenir, portraits d’architectes, Fayard (1998), Chroniques patrimoniales, Éditions Norma (2001), ainsi que de L’Art nouveau, chez Citadelles et Mazenod (2009).

Laurence de Finance est conservatrice générale du patrimoine, chargée de mission au musée des Monuments français. Spécialiste de l’ornement, elle est coauteur du Vocabulaire de l’ornement à paraître en 2014 aux Éditions du Patrimoine. Elle a également participé à de nombreux ouvrages sur les vitraux.

Contributions : Laurent Baridon, Corinne Bélier, Laure Chabanne, Véronique Derbier, Gaël Favier, Jean-Charles Forgeret, Rossella Froissart, Jean-Marc Hofman, Christine Lancestremère, Carole Lenfant, Benjamin Mouton, Jean-Daniel Pariset, Emily Rawlinson, Alice Thomine-Berrada et Arnaud Timbert.