Jean-François-Thérèse Chalgrin (1739 – 21 January 1811) was a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

architect, best known for his design for the

Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile (, , ; ) is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Place de l'Étoile—the ''étoile'' ...

, Paris.

Biography

His neoclassic orientation was established from his early studies with the prophet of neoclassicism

Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni Jean-Nicolas Servan, also known as Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni (2 May 1695 – 19 January 1766) was an Italian decorator, architect, scene-painter, firework designer and trompe-l'œil specialist. He was born in Florence, the son of a Frenc ...

and with the radical classicist

Étienne-Louis Boullée Étienne-Louis Boullée (12 February 17284 February 1799) was a visionary French neoclassical architect whose work greatly influenced contemporary architects. Life Born in Paris, he studied under Jacques-François Blondel, Germain Bof ...

in Paris and through his

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

sojourn (November 1759 – May 1763) as a pensionnaire of the French Academy in Rome. His time in Rome coincided with a fervent new interest in Classicism among the young French ''pensionnaires'', under the influences of

Piranesi Giovanni Battista (or Giambattista) Piranesi (; also known as simply Piranesi; 4 October 1720 – 9 November 1778) was an Italian Classical archaeologist, architect, and artist, famous for his etchings of Rome and of fictitious and atmospheri ...

and the publications of Winckelmann. Returning to Paris, he was quickly given an appointment as an inspector of public works for the city of Paris, under the architect

Pierre-Louis Moreau-Desproux Pierre-Louis Moreau-Desproux (Paris 1727 — Paris 1793) was a pioneering French neoclassical architect. Training Though he did not gain the Prix de Rome that was the dependable gateway to a prominent French career in architecture, his fellow-s ...

, whose own time at the French Academy in Rome had predisposed him to the new style. In this official capacity he oversaw the construction of

Ange-Jacques Gabriel Ange-Jacques Gabriel (23 October 1698 – 4 January 1782) was the principal architect of King Louis XV of France. His major works included the Place de la Concorde, the École Militaire, and the Petit Trianon and opera theater at the Palace of V ...

's Hôtel Saint-Florentin in the rue Saint-Florentin, where Chalgrin was able to design the neoclassical gateway to the '' cour d'honneur''. In 1764 (Eriksen 1974) he presented his uncompromisingly neoclassical plans for the Church of St. Philippe-du-Roule (''illustration''; constructed 1774–1784); its colossal

Ionic order The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite ...

of columns, which separated the barrel-vaulted nave from the lower, barrel-vaulted aisles, was carried around the apse without a break. In this church, which was built 1772-84, he revived a

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its nam ...

plan that had not been characteristic of French ecclesiastical architecture since the sixteenth century. In 1775 he was appointed First Architect to the comte de Provence, brother of Louis XVI; he designed the

pavilion In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings: * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...

of the comtesse de Provence at

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

. In 1779 he was appointed overseer of the building projects of another brother of the king, the comte d'Artois. In 1777 Chalgrin partly remodelled the interior of

Church of Saint-Sulpice , image = Paris Saint-Sulpice Fassade 4-5 A.jpg , image_size = , pushpin map = Paris , pushpin label position = , coordinates = , location = Place Saint-Sulpice 6th arrondi ...

, which had been given a thoroughly neoclassical façade by Chalgrin's former master Servandoni over forty years before. He also designed the case for the great organ. Towards the end of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

in 1798 Chalgrin threw up the buildings for the first

Exposition des produits de l'industrie française The Exposition des produits de l'industrie française (Exhibition of Products of French Industry) was a public event organized in Paris, France, from 1798 to 1849. The purpose was "to offer a panorama of the productions of the various branches of ...

, with an extremely tight deadline. A large circle of porticos surrounded a Temple of Industry that would hold the objects of industries that the jury had selected. After the Revolution Chalgrin extended the

Collège de France The Collège de France (), formerly known as the ''Collège Royal'' or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment ('' grand établissement'') in France. It is located in Paris n ...

and made alterations in the Palais du Luxembourg to suit it to its new use as the seat of the Directoire. The

was commissioned by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

to commemorate the victorious armies of the

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

. In 1806, Chalgrin and Jean-Arnaud Raymond were commissioned to create plans for the Arc, but their respective proposals were incompatible, leading to Raymond's resignation. The project was under way when Chalgrin died, and it was completed by Jean-Nicolas Huyot. Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile - Projet Chalgrin - 02

Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile - Projet Chalgrin - 02

Chalgrin married Émilie, a daughter of the painter

Joseph Vernet Claude-Joseph Vernet (14 August 17143 December 1789) was a French painter. His son, Antoine Charles Horace Vernet, was also a painter. Life and work Vernet was born in Avignon. When only fourteen years of age he aided his father, Antoine Vernet ...

. They had one son.

Major works

* 1767–1769: Hôtel Saint-Florentin (later the Hôtel de Langeac, which served as

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

's domicile, 1785–89, then the Hôtel Talleyrand-Périgord), for the comte de Saint-Florentin (Paris, 2 rue Saint-Florentin); demolished 1842. :fr:Hôtel de Langeac * 1767–1770: Hôtel de Mademoiselle de Luzy (Paris, rue Férou) * 1774–1780: Additions to the

(Paris, rue des Écoles ) * finished 1775: Construction of

Claude Nicolas Ledoux Claude-Nicolas Ledoux (21 March 1736 – 18 November 1806) was one of the earliest exponents of French Neoclassical architecture. He used his knowledge of architectural theory to design not only domestic architecture but also town planning; as ...

's designs for dwellings at

for

Madame du Barry Jeanne Bécu, Comtesse du Barry (19 August 1743 – 8 December 1793) was the last '' maîtresse-en-titre'' of King Louis XV of France. She was executed, by guillotine, during the French Revolution due to accounts of treason—particularly bei ...

and the comtesse de Provence * 1777–1780: Restoration of the façade and rebuilding the north tower of Saint-Sulpice (Paris) * ????–1778: Hunting lodge, "Rendez-vous de chasse de la Faisanderie" for the comte de Provence (

Étiolles Étiolles () is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France, twenty-seven kilometers southeast of Paris. Inhabitants of Étiolles are known as ''Étiollais''. See also *Communes of the Essonne department The foll ...

, Département

Essonne Essonne () is a department of France in the southern Île-de-France region. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659 across 194 communes.Ancienne Laiterie de Madame

, 2 rue Vauban. * ????–1780: Music pavilion for the comtesse de Provence (Versailles, 111 avenue de Paris) * 1774–1784: Église de St. Philippe-du-Roule (Paris) * finished 1785: Pavilion and ''jardin à l'anglaise'' "Parc Balbi" (Versailles, destroyed 1798) * 1799–1805: Works at Palais du Luxembourg, the grand staircase and the "Salon des Messagers d'État" (Paris) * 1806–1811; completed after Chalgrin's death, in 1836:

, Place de l'Étoile (Paris) * finished 1807: Restoration of the Théâtre de l'Odéon, Paris (burned 1818)

References

Sources

*Svend Eriksen, ''Early Neo-Classicism in France'' (London: Faber & Faber), 1974. Chalgrin's biography p 163.

Biography

Major works

See also

References

Sources

Further reading