Synopsis
Public Access to Art in Paris explores public accessibility to art (mainly painting and sculpture) on exhibit in Paris from the High Middle Ages to the year 1800. The topic is important, because from such displays emerged the familiar institutions and practices of the modern world: public museums and sculpture gardens, exhibitions of contemporary art, and popular art journalism. This book traces the origins and development of these familiar components in the city of Paris, where Robert Berger believes all the crucial elements first appeared together. The documentary format offers the reader an extensive array of source writings, many translated for the first time.
Booknews
Traces the origins and development of public museums and sculpture gardens, exhibitions of contemporary art, and popular art journalism in the French city, speculating that it was there that all the crucial elements first appeared together. Focuses on the settings where art objects were on view to a general public, whether monumental carvings permanently affixed to church facades, or small cabinet paintings temporarily displayed at an exhibition. Investigates how the visual arts were made available to a public that could not commission, buy, or collect them. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknew.com)