Rereading Louis Hautecour (Rouen/Darnetal, 12 May 2017)

Conference “Rereading Louis Hautecœur”
École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Normandie, Rouen/Darnétal
Friday 12 May 2017
École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Normandie, May 12, 2017
Deadline for paper proposals: Nov 7, 2016
This conference focuses on Louis Hautecœur (1884-1973), who dedicated his life to art and architecture, not only of the past but also of the
present. The importance of his numerous contributions was neglected by scholars for many years, before appearing, beginning in the 1980s, in
works addressing the history of art and architecture of the Vichy period.  It was necessary to wait two more decades for Hautecœur to
become the object of dedicated study.  This pioneering research illustrated Hautecœur’s multiple areas of expertise while shedding
light on the great upheavals of the 20th century.
As a civil servant, Hautecœur was involved in the artistic and architectural debates and institutions of his day. Versatile and
prolific, he successively or simultaneously exercised several professions: professor of art and architectural history (École du
Louvre, École des Beaux-Arts), architectural historian (the seven-volume L’Histoire de l’Architecture classique en France), art and
architectural critic (Editor-in-Chief of L’Architecture), exhibition curator (international exhibitions, Venice Biennales), museum
administrator (Musée du Luxembourg and instigator of the Musée national d’art modern) and a reform-minded State administrator (Director of Fine
Arts in Egypt and France).
This conference seeks to continue and broaden this research by exploring lesser-known aspects of Hautecœur’s actions. Contributions
should cover Hautecœur’s scholarly and administrative careers, the impact of his reforms, as well as the artistic, intellectual and
political context in which his actions were inscribed.
In the context of this conference, it could be interesting to explore one or more of several overarching themes that traverse Hautecœur’s
career, including:
– His conception of French Classicism as a living tradition and his plea for a third way for contemporary artistic and architectural
production, between tradition and modernity.
– His interest in contemporary artists and architects as manifested in his Musée du Luxembourg acquisition policies, as well as in his
participation in artistic and architectural commissions, exhibitions and international exchanges.
– The modernization of the administration and of institutions of arts and architecture.
– The professionalization of actors through the creation of the ‘classés-contrôlés’ museum system, the protection of titles and
educational reforms.
– The ways in which he translated his specific notion of French identity through his thinking about the protection of heritage, art,
and landscape as well as his vision of architectural and urban design.
Submissions, in French or in English, should include an abstract (maximum 2000 characters, spaces included), accompanied by an
indicative bibliography of five articles, books or archival sources, as well as an author’s biography (maximum 400 characters). Please submit
all three elements as a single Word or PDF file, labeled as follows:
LAST NAME_resume.doc (or .pdf). Submissions are due by 7 November 2016 before midnight, sent to: colloque.hautecœur[at]gmail.com.
Steering Committee
Patrice Gourbin, Enseignant (Histoire et cultures architecturales), ENSA Normandie / ATE Normandie
Tricia Meehan, Maitre assistante (Ville et territoire), ENSA Normandie / ATE Normandie
Academic Organization
Élise Guillerm, Assistante scientifique, ENSA Normandie / HiCSA
Advisory Committee
Antonio Brucculeri, Maître-assistant (Histoire et cultures architecturales), ENSA Paris-Val de Seine / EVCAU
Julien Bastoen, Docteur en architecture / AHTTEP
Jean-Louis Cohen, Sheldon H. Solow Professor in the History of Architecture, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University / Professeur invité du Collège de France
Claire Maingon, Maître de conférences (Histoire de l’art), Normandie Université (Rouen) / GRHis
Caroline Maniaque, Professeure (Histoire et cultures architecturales), ENSA Normandie / IPRAUS
Pascal Ory, Professeur (Histoire contemporaine), Sorbonne (Paris1) / CHS
Yves Pauwels,
Professeur (Histoire de l’art), Université François-Rabelais de Tours / CESR
Hélène Serre de Talhouët, Enseignante (Histoire de l’art), Institut Catholique de Paris / IRHiS
Calendar
Call for proposals opens: 9 September 2016
Deadline for receiving proposals: 7 November 2016
Announcement of decisions: 13 January 2017 at the latest
Submission of presentation text: 14 April 2017 at the latest
Conference: 12 May 2017

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