Louis Edmond Joseph Hourticq (31 December 1875, Brossac - 15 March 1944,

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...

) was a French

art historian Art history is the study of artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Traditionally, the ...

, and popularizer of art appreciation.

Life and work

In 1898, after completing his secondary studies at the Collège de Cognac, he went to Paris and entered the

École Normale Supérieure École or Ecole 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 i ...

. This was followed, in 1902, by a brief period as a substitute teacher at 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 ...

. He passed his examination and became an agrégé in letters the following year. From 1904 to 1906, he served as a substitute lecturer in art history at several girls' schools, including the

Lycée Racine The lycée Racine is a public school in the quartier de l'Europe located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It consists of a lycée as well as BTS assistant manager and BTS bank staff courses. It takes the name of Jean Racine, playwright and hi ...

and the

Lycée Lamartine The Lycée Lamartine is a French institute of secondary education in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. It combines a ''collège'', a ''lycée'', and a ''Classe préparatoire aux grandes écoles'' (prep school for the ''Grandes écoles''). The sch ...

. In 1906, he was named a sub-inspector of fine arts for the City of Paris. During his first period in office, he attended conferences in England (1911) and North America (1912), then served as Commissioner General for the Exposition d'Art Français in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

(1913). The following year, shortly after the beginning of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he was mobilized as an officer. His services earned him the

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

. Upon being discharged in 1918, he resumed his duties, but only for a year. Thanks to his doctoral thesis on the youth of

Titian Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno. Ti ...

, published in 1919, he became a professor of art history and aesthetics at the

École des Beaux-Arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...

. In 1924, he was appointed Inspector General of drawing education, a position he held until 1940. He was elected to the

Académie des Beaux-Arts The (; ) is a French learned society based in Paris. It is one of the five academies of the . The current president of the academy (2021) is Alain-Charles Perrot, a French architect. Background The academy was created in 1816 in Paris as a me ...

in 1927; where he took Seat#5 in the "Unattached" section. In his later years, he was a member of the , the Conseil supérieur des Beaux-Arts, and the Commission des Monuments historiques. His notable writings include; ''De Poussin à Watteau, ou des origines de l'école parisienne de peinture'', Hachette, 1921 (winner of the

Charles-Blanc Prize The Charles-Blanc Prize ( French: ) was an annual award of the Académie Française for the author(s) of works in the fields of History and Sociology. The prize was awarded from 1898 to 1994, and was named after French art critic and historian, ...

, 1922), ''La Vie des images'', Hachette, 1927, and ''L’Art et la Science''. Flammarion, 1943.

Sources

Biographical notes and a critique of his works
@ the Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art
Biographical notes and references
from the Comité des travaux historiques et scientifiques @ La France Savante

External links

__NOTOC__ {{DEFAULTSORT:Hourticq, Louis 1875 births 1944 deaths French art historians Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) Members of the Académie des beaux-arts People from Charente French military personnel of World War I

Life and work

Sources

Further reading

External links