Joseph Henri Lemonnier (8 August 1842, Saint-Prix - 17 May 1936,

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 ...

) 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 ...

; the first to hold the chair of art history at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

Biography

His father was André-Hippolyte Lemonnier, a poet, art collector and Secretary of the

Académie de France à Rome The French Academy in Rome (french: Académie de France à Rome) is an Academy located in the Villa Medici, within the Villa Borghese, on the Pincio (Pincian Hill) in Rome, Italy. History The Academy was founded at the Palazzo Capranica in 1 ...

. His grandfather,

Anicet Charles Gabriel Lemonnier Anicet Charles Gabriel Lemonnier (''male''; 6 June 1743 17 August 1824) was a well-known French painter of historical subjects who was active before, during and after the French Revolution. Life Lemonnier was born in Rouen on 6 June 1743. ...

, was a painter of historical subjects. He was a student at the

Lycée Charlemagne The Lycée Charlemagne is located in the Marais quarter of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, the capital city of France. Constructed many centuries before it became a lycée, the building originally served as the home of the Order of the Jesuit ...

, then entered the École Impériale des Chartes, where he became an archivist-paleographer in 1865, with a thesis on Roman administration under the

Visigoths The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is ...

. He passed the agrégé in history in 1872. After teaching in several secondary schools, he was placed in charge of the history course at 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 ...

in 1874, and at the École normale supérieure de Sèvres in 1881. 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 1888. In 1889, as a substitute for

Ernest Lavisse Ernest Lavisse (; 17 December 184218 August 1922) was a French historian. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature five times. Biography He was born at Le Nouvion-en-Thiérache, Aisne. In 1865 he obtained a fellowship in history, and ...

at the

, he followed the model established by

Louis Courajod Louis Charles Jean Courajod (22 February 1841 – 26 June 1896) was a French art historian, museum curator and connoisseur-collector, who was born and died in Paris. Biography Courajod was trained as a lawyer, then as an historian at the École ...

at the

École du Louvre The École du Louvre is an institution of higher education and grande école located in the Aile de Flore of the Louvre Palace in Paris, France. It is dedicated to the study of archaeology, art history, anthropology and epigraphy. Admission is ...

; treating art history as an integral part of history in general. This resulted in his being given charge of the art history courses there, in 1893Christophe Charle, "Lemonnier (Joseph, Henry)", In: ''Publications de l'Institut national de recherche pédagogique'', Vol.2, #1, 1985
Online
The first chair of art history in France was created for him in 1899. His first major project involved the creation of an art library, with a collection of prints, photographs, and sculptural

cast Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William * ...

s. During his time there, he also edited Courajod's courses, participated in writing and editing volume five of the ''Histoire de France depuis les origines jusqu'à la Révolution'' by Lavisse, and edited the

minutes Minutes, also known as minutes of meeting (abbreviation MoM), protocols or, informally, notes, are the instant written record of a meeting or hearing. They typically describe the events of the meeting and may include a list of attendees, a state ...

of the

Académie royale d'architecture The Académie Royale d'Architecture (; en, "Royal Academy of Architecture") was a French learned society founded in 1671. It had a leading role in influencing architectural theory and education, not only in France, but throughout Europe and th ...

, dating from 1671 to 1793. Shortly after his retirement from the Sorbonne in 1913, 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 #2 in the "Unattached" section, succeeding

Jules Comte Jules Victor Abel Eugène Jean Comte (17 October 1846, Paris - 14 December 1912, Paris) was a French art historian and government official. Life and work He studied at the Lycée Bonaparte (now the Lycée Condorcet), and was hired by the Minis ...

, who had died the previous year.

References

External links

Biography of Lemmonier
@ the ''

Dictionary of Art Historians The ''Dictionary of Art Historians'' (DAH) is an online encyclopedia of topics relating to art historians, art critics and their dictionaries. The mission of the project is to provide free, reliable, English-language information on published art ...

'' __NOTOC__ {{DEFAULTSORT:Lemonnier, Henry 1842 births 1936 deaths French art historians Recipients of the Legion of Honour Members of the Académie des beaux-arts People from Val-d'Oise

Biography

References

Further reading

External links