The State and Contemporary Artists. A History of the Centre National des Arts Plastiques. 1791–1914

At the heart of a public collection that now comprises over 100,000 works lies a mission that has been constantly reaffirmed: to support living artists. From the French Revolution to 1914, this reference work traces the formation of the Centre National des Arts Plastiques’ collection and its expansion across the country. By combining the perspectives of art historians with analyses of the works, it reveals the making of a cultural heritage and its aesthetic, political and social implications.

The first volume in a series of four, the book brings together twenty-six authors—curators, art historians, and French and international researchers—to examine the rationale behind an arts policy spanning over a century. Their contributions fill documentary gaps whilst offering a fresh perspective on public action in support of artists.

Thirteen essays structure the book according to a dual approach, both chronological and thematic. The first traces the successive shifts in acquisition policy, from revolutionary experiments to the Third Republic, navigating administrative continuities and ideological ruptures. The second explores cross-cutting issues: the construction and dissemination of a national identity through imagery, monumental commissions for public buildings, worldviews, and the role of foreign artists and women artists.

These essays are illustrated by some 300 images, alongside fifty-three entries offering in-depth analyses of works and artists emblematic of the collection, shedding light on pieces often little-known to the general public. Finally, a comprehensive set of reference materials completes the volume: a chronology of the departments of the Fine Arts Administration, a list of works acquired, a selected bibliography and an index of artists and creative professionals. An essential reference for the study of the collection of the Centre National des Arts Plastiques.