Alexandre-Albert Lenoir (21 October 1801,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

- 17 February 1891, Paris) was a French

art historian Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

, and writer; best known for creating what is now known as the

Musée de Cluny The Musée de Cluny ("Cluny Museum", ), also known as Musée national du Moyen Âge – Thermes et hôtel de Cluny ("National Museum of the Middle Ages – Cluny thermal baths and mansion"), is a museum of the Middle Ages in Paris, Fr ...

Biography

He was born to the archaeologist,

Alexandre Lenoir Marie Alexandre Lenoir (27 December 1761 – 11 June 1839) was a French archaeologist. Self-taught, he devoted himself to saving France's historic monuments, sculptures and tombs from the ravages of the French Revolution, notably those of Basiliqu ...

, and his wife, the painter

Adélaïde Binart Adélaïde Binart (9 March 1769 – September 1832) was a French neoclassical painter-artist. Adélaïde Binart was born 9 March 1769, in Paris. She exhibited her works, mostly portraits, at the Salon of 1795–1817. In 1794, she marrie ...

. He studied at the Collège Henri IV then, in 1819, he took a position in the studios of

François Debret François Debret (27 June 1777 – 19 February 1850) was a 19th-century French architect and Freemason. He was one of a group of influential Academic art, academic architects in the 1820s and 1830s that furthered the precepts of Percier and Fontai ...

, a well known architect. The following year, he was admitted to the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...

, where he continued his architectural studies. In 1824, he took an extended trip througbh the

Midi MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and re ...

with some of his fellow students. The years from 1830 to 1833 were spent in Italy with the architect, . They travelled throughout the country, studying

Greco-Roman The Greco-Roman civilization (; also Greco-Roman culture; spelled Graeco-Roman in the Commonwealth), as understood by modern scholars and writers, includes the geographical regions and countries that culturally—and so historically—were di ...

and

Etruscan architecture Etruscan architecture was created between about 900 BC and 27 BC, when the expanding civilization of ancient Rome finally absorbed Etruscan civilization. The Etruscans were considerable builders in stone, wood and other materials of temples, hou ...

, as well as the early Christian

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

s. In 1831, he became a member of the new "Istituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica", founded by

Eduard Gerhard Friedrich Wilhelm Eduard Gerhard (29 November 1795 – 12 May 1867) was a German archaeologist. He was co-founder and secretary of the first international archaeological society. Biography Gerhard was born at Posen, and was educated at Breslau ...

, and published some of his work in their journal. Upon returning to Paris, he made a presentation at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

: ''Projet d’un musée historique formé par la réunion du Palais des Thermes et de l’Hôtel de Cluny''. His proposal was praised by the Inspector General of Historical Monuments,

Ludovic Vitet Ludovic Vitet (18 October 18025 June 1873) was a French dramatist and politician. Early life and career Ludovic Vitet was born in Paris. He came from a wealthy bourgeois family, as the grandson of former member of the National Convention Louis V ...

. Two years later, he was named a member of the Comité des Arts et Monuments Historiques, established by

François Guizot François Pierre Guillaume Guizot (; 4 October 1787 – 12 September 1874) was a French historian, orator, and statesman. Guizot was a dominant figure in French politics prior to the Revolution of 1848. A conservative liberal who opposed the a ...

. That same year, he began work on his inventory of monuments, '. He was also a lecturer in

Byzantine architecture Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire, or Eastern Roman Empire. The Byzantine era is usually dated from 330 AD, when Constantine the Great moved the Roman capital to Byzantium, which became Constantinople, until th ...

at the Bibliothèque Royale. In 1840, he was one of the founders of the

Société Centrale des Architectes Français Lactalis is a French multinational dairy products corporation, owned by the Besnier family and based in Laval, Mayenne, France. The company's former name was Besnier SA. Lactalis is the largest dairy products group in the world, and is the sec ...

. In 1841, he married Laure Rey (1822-1916). They had two daughters and a son, , who became a sculptor. Their eldest daughter, Zélia (1842-1919), was a painter. Their youngest, Angéline (1844-1877), was a poet. Ten years after his proposal at the Salon, he was appointed to oversee a project that would join the Palais des Thermes and the Hôtel de Cluny, to create a new establishment for housing the collection of medieval objects gathered by Alexandre Du Sommerard. Over 12,000 visitors came to the Musée du Moyen Âge within a short time after its inauguration. Partly in recognition of this work, he was named a Knight in the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

in 1845.Documentation
@ the

Base Léonore ''Base Léonore'', or the Léonore database, is a French database that lists the records of the members of the National Order of the Legion of Honor. The database lists the records of those inducted into the Legion of Honor The National Ord ...

From 1856, he taught at the

. In 1862, he became the École's secretary. He was appointed to the Chair of Architecture in 1869. That same year, he was elected to the

Académie des Beaux-Arts An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

, where he took Seat #6 in the "Unattached" section, succeeding the Comte de Rambuteau (deceased). He also served on the jury at the Salon. Albert-lenoir

He retired from teaching in 1884, but soon accepted an offer to become the first President of the newly established Société des Amis des Monuments Parisiens. He died at the age of eighty-nine, and was interred at the Cimetière de Montparnasse.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lenoir, Albert 1801 births 1891 deaths French art historians French archaeologists Recipients of the Legion of Honour Members of the Académie des beaux-arts Architects from Paris

Biography

References

Further reading

External links