The Invention of the Historic Monument
Francoise Choay(Author)
Cambridge University Press
Published on 23. April 2001
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-0-521-45474-2 (ISBN)
Description
This book traces an important strand in the intellectual history of the West from the Renaissance to the present. During this period, consciousness of the remains of the past - particularly the monuments of classical antiquity and, in the nineteenth century, impressive Romanesque and Gothic structures - grew exponentially. Architects such as Ruskin, Viollet-le-Duc, Riegl, and Boito developed and implemented theories as to how these types of monuments could be maintained for posterity. Analyzing the phenomenon of the historic monument from the fifteenth through the twentieth centuries, Francoise Choay exposes its ambivalent character, as a symbol of a capitalist economy, as a symptom of deep social malaise, and even as a touchstone for the rediscovery of humanistic values whose relevance for contemporary society can no longer be taken for granted. Originally published in the French, this book was awarded the Grand Prix National du Patrimoine by the French government in 1995.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
11 Halftones, unspecified
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 162 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
523 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-521-45474-2 (9780521454742)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Author
University of Paris and Cornell University
Translation
Ithaca College
Content
1. Humanisms and the ancient monument; 2. The age of antiquarians: real monuments and represented monuments; 3. The French Revolution; 4. The consecration phase: institutionalization of the historic monument, 1820-1960; 5. The invention of an urban heritage; 6. Historic heritage and the contemporary culture industry.