Thematic call for publication: “The representation of history in the collections of the Museum of the Palace of Versailles” (research programme)

Argument

Louis-Philippe’s History Galleries in Versailles, planned in 1833 and inaugurated in 1837, continued to be enriched up until the Fourth Republic. The collections contain 7,000 paintings (including 1,200 historical scenes) and 1,500 sculptures.

Dismantled in 1892, when Pierre de Nolhac became curator of the Museum of the Palace of Versailles, only certain sections of the History Galleries were open to the public during the 20^th century. A major architectural and museographic refurbishment is planned to start in 2022 as part of the master plan of the Établissement public de Versailles. It will be preceded by a research programme to prepare and orientate the museographic project to reorganise the collections of the History Galleries: this is the context of this symposium.

Research themes

Five themes will contribute to the ideas about ways in which these galleries can be made more accessible to the public. Indeed, in spite of its gaps, this collection offers strong evidence of a specific view of the history of France that the Museum of the Palace of Versailles should analyse and question today.

• I- Prefigurations of the History Galleries of Versailles: representing the history of France]
   Choice and representation of the great men of the 18^th century: what were the models for the History Galleries?
   Alexandre Lenoir and the Museum of French Monuments

• II- A museum in a residence: presentation strategies
   Versailles, a predestined site
   Museographic stances
   Visiting the History Galleries, from Louis-Philippe to the present day

• III- Visions of history in France and in Europe
   Showcasing the great collections created in the 19^th century: from major municipal programmes to history museums, reflecting French inspiration in Europe
   From the National Portrait Gallery to the Deutsches Historisches Museum : history museums in Europe

• IV- Current developments in the historiography and iconography of the History Galleries of Versailles
   The view of the Middle Ages: what remains?
   The place of Louis XIV: the genius loci for today, just as it was in the era of Louis-Philippe
   And Napoleon’s place in all this!
   The portrait series in the 21^st century
   History as an aid to national reconciliation

• V- Reinventing the History Galleries of Versailles in the 21^st century
   A talk on the history of art through the representation of history
   On the fringes of military history: celebrating civil merit
   The hero, the genius and the saint: what is the place of these figures in the 21^st century?
   History galleries and education: from school textbooks to the collective imagination
   The national gesture and the audiences of today

Submission guidelines and evaluation procedures

First, article proposals (abstracts of about 5 000 characters) should be addressed to Alexandre Maral in French or in English. These proposals will be reviewed by the scientific committee.

If the proposals are accepted by the scientific committee, the full articles will be examined both by the latter and by two members of the Centre de recherche du château de Versailles’s peer review committee (or by external scholars appointed by the scientific or peer review committee if necessary).

Article proposals must be submitted before the end of 2021. Authors must send:

• Author(s)’s name and surname, institutional affiliation, email address;
• Title of the article;
• An article proposal of 5 000 characters specifying the subject and the issue of the article, the theoretical framework, methodology, sources and main bibliographical references used ;
• An abbreviated curriculum vitae.
  Proposals can be submitted in the following languages: French, English, German, Italian, Spanish.

The final articles will be 40 000 characters maximum (bibliography and footnotes included).

Authors should comply with the editorial guidelines of the Bulletin du Centre de recherche du château de Versailles (in French).