Murals By Pierre Puvis de Chavannes in French Museums

Abstract

New buildings for art museums mushroomed in the French provinces in the second half of the nineteenth century. These secular institutions helped frame a city's image, signal its importance, and assert its cultural standing. More than any other artist, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (1824-1898) was responsible for the mural cycles and their programs in these grand civic buildings — at Amiens, Marseilles, Lyons, and Rouen. While many of his monumental museum murals may seem simply to represent timeless landscapes inhabited by classicizing figures, they increasingly contained telling references to the specific municipalities and regions in which the museums for which they were made were located. They touted local interests, industries, and regional commerce; heralded public policies and concerns; and came to serve as virtual billboards to advertise the respective cities, making pointed reference to and suitable for the municipality and region and the specific histories, culture, and collections embraced by the institution.