Louis-Eugène-Georges Hautecœur (11 June 1884,

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 November 1973, 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 ...

and museum conservator.

Biography

He was born to Alfred Albert Hautecœur and his wife, Jeanne née Barrault, who were print merchants. After attending the

Lycée Henri-IV The Lycée Henri-IV is a public secondary school located in Paris. Along with the Lycée Louis-le-Grand, it is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious and demanding sixth-form colleges (''lycées'') in France. The school educates more than ...

, he was admitted to the

École Normale Supérieure École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

in 1905, and passed his exam for becoming an agrégé in 1908. He was with the

École française de Rome The École française de Rome (EFR) is a French research institute for history, archaeology, and the social sciences; overseen by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, and a division of the Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur et d ...

from then until 1910, during which time he was in charge of excavations in

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

, under the aegis of the

Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres 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, f ...

. In 1909, he married his first wife, Marcelle Charlotte Poullain. From 1910 until the start of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he held several teaching positions, in Paris,

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The holy district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance. In ...

and

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

. He was awarded a Doctorate in 1912, and was mobilized in 1914, serving as a Second-Lieutenant in the 152nd Infantry Division. In 1917, he was attached to the Ministry of War and became head of the Diplomatic Information Service in

Lugano Lugano (, , ; lmo, label=Ticinese dialect, Ticinese, Lugan ) is a city and municipality in Switzerland, part of the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino. It is the largest city of both Ticino and the Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Luga ...

. After the war, he was a professor of art history at the Université de Caen (1919-1931) and the École du Louvre (1920-1940). He also held the Chair of Architectural History 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 ...

(1920-1940). At the same time, he served in administrative positions; notably at the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

(1919-1927), and as the last conservator of the original Musée du Luxembourg (1927-1937). He hlso helped to organize its successor, the Musée National d’Art Moderne at the Palais de Tokyo; serving as its director until 1940. As a result of these activities, he was made 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 1938. In July 1940, he was named Directeur Général des Beaux-Arts; replacing

Georges Huisman Georges may refer to: Places *Georges River, New South Wales, Australia *Georges Quay (Dublin) *Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania Other uses *Georges (name) * ''Georges'' (novel), a novel by Alexandre Dumas * "Georges" (song), a 1977 ...

, who was highly critical of the new Vichy government. From March 1941, he was Scrétaire Général des Beaux-Arts and Conseiller d'État. During his tenure, he was presented with the

Ordre de la Francisque The Order of the Gallic Francisque () is an order and medal which was awarded by the Vichy Regime, the Nazi-aligned government of France during World War II. The order was created by the ''arrêtés'' of 26 May 1941, the law of 16 May 1941 and ...

. Nevertheless, in early 1944, he was removed by order of Hermann Göring, for "refusal to collaborate", and he became director of studies at the

École Pratique des Hautes Etudes École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by Secondary education in France, secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région ...

."Histoire de la section", in: ''Annuaires de la section des sciences religieuses de l'École pratique des hautes études'', 1944
Online
Following the

Liberation Liberation or liberate may refer to: Film and television * ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War * "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode * "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode Gaming * '' Liberati ...

, he was reinstated as Secrétaire Général. He joined the

Association for the Defence of the Memory of Marshal Pétain The Association for the Defence of the Memory of Marshal Pétain (''Association pour défendre la mémoire du maréchal Pétain'' or ''ADMP'') is a French association set up on 6 November 1951 under the patronage of general Maxime Weygand, its hono ...

in 1951. The following year, he became a member of the

Institut de France The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute m ...

and was elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts, where he took Seat #6 in the "Unattached" section. Later, he served as President of the Comité Français d'Histoire de l'Art (CFHA) and Vice-President of the . A widower, he married his second wife, the paleographer Marguerite Milliez (1918-2001), in 1956.

References

External links

* Antonio Brucculeri
"Louis Hautecœur : repères biographiques"
from: ''Louis Hautecœur et la tradition classique'' @ OpenEditions
Biographies and references
@ AGORHA ( Institut national d'histoire de l'art) __NOTOC__ {{DEFAULTSORT:Hautecoeur, Louis 1884 births 1973 deaths French art historians French curators Recipients of the Legion of Honour Members of the Académie des beaux-arts People from Paris

Biography

References

Further reading

External links