Private Classical Paris
April 13 – 18, 2008
Sponsored by The Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America
Arranged by Pamela Huntington Darling & Associates
The renown of Paris in architectural, intellectual and artistic matters began in the 12th century when the Capetien kings made it the capital of the Kingdom of France. In the 17th and 18th centuries French classical architecture influenced building styles not only in Europe but also in North America. President Thomas Jefferson used French classical architecture as a model, and famous American architects, such as Richard Morris Hunt and Louis Sullivan, studied at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris in the late 19th century.
During five exceptional days, “Private Classical Paris” will offer participants an outstanding selection of exclusive visits of the most significant examples of French classical architecture, including buildings and sites designed by François Mansart, Louis Le Vau, Claude Perrault, Jules Hardouin Mansart, Jacques-Ange Gabriel, and Claude-Nicolas Ledoux, as well as contemporary architecture influenced by the classical masters.
The participants will enjoy exclusive, private access to ambassadorial residences, to the most important historic French institutions not open to the public, to private historic residences and châteaux of distinction owned by members of the French nobility and renowned private art collectors, hosted by the proprietors, and lead by architects, knowledgeable specialists, and curators.
This extraordinary tour will include private receptions, luncheons, and several dinners specially offered by the hosts. Other outstanding visits and receptions will be announced shortly.
The participants will enjoy residing for their five-night stay at the historic Hôtel d’Aubusson, a former private mansion built in the 17th century, site of the first literary salon, located in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés near the Pont Neuf. It has been cited by Frommer’s as “one of the best of the luxe boutique hotels of Paris”, offering lovely decor with original beams, Versailles parquet floors, furnishings in the style of Louis XVI and Directoire, a monumental fireplace made of Burgundy stone, genuine Aubusson tapestries embellishing the reception rooms, a beautiful courtyard garden, smaller intimate lounge areas, and spacious, elegant rooms and suites.
Tour Highlights
Ministère de la Marine, Hôtel de la Marine The President of Bouygues, sponsor of the restoration, has arranged a private visit of the renovation work on the classical peristyle of the Ministry of the Navy, Place de la Concorde, originally designed by Jacques-Ange Gabriel (1774), Chief Architect of the King. Eight different guilds of traditional building craftsmen are involved in this major restoration. The visit will include the gilded hall and two formal reception rooms.
Residence of the Ambassador of Great Britain and Lady Westmacott, Hôtel Charost, former residence of Pauline Borghese We will have a privileged visit of this historic private mansion, one of the most beautiful embassy residences in Europe, built from 1720 to 1723 for the the Duc de Charost, tutor to Louis XV, and sold to the beautiful Pauline Leclerc, Napoleon Bonaparte’s favorite sister, in 1803. With her second husband, Prince Camillo Borghese, Pauline made major alterations during her 11 years of ownership, culminating in the highest level of decor, artwork and antique furniture, and one of the most impressive gardens in Europe. In 1814 the Duke of Wellington bought the building and all its contents. The residence contains almost all of the original furniture and paintings, which is why many of the rooms still evoke the “shadow of Pauline”. Hôtel Charost has been featured in articles on historical residences of outstanding interest and has won awards for its restoration. A tea in the gardens will follow the visit.
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Cercle de l’Union Interalliée Guests will enjoy a luncheon in the private setting of the Cercle de l’Union Interalliée, one of the oldest, most exclusive and sought-after private clubs in France. The Cercle, founded in 1917 to serve as a home for allied officers coming through Paris, is located in a superb mansion designed by Ludovico Visconti, with another of the most beautiful private gardens in Paris, adjacent to the residences of the American and British Ambassador.
Pierre-Christian Taittinger, former Minister and Senator, Mayor of Paris’ 16th arrondissement, and President of the Cercle, will welcome the guests.
Residence of the American Ambassador; Hôtel de Pontalba This residence had an “American” connection 100 years before the U.S. government purchased the property, which originally belonged to Micaela de Pontalba, whose family built Jackson Square in New Orleans. In 1842 the Baroness de Pontalba commissioned the architect Ludovico Visconti, also architect of the fountain in Place St Sulpice and Napoleon’s tomb, to design her Paris residence.
The gatehouse and the buildings facing the street are all that remains of the designs of architect Ludovico Visconti (1842). The second stage of glory for this property started in 1876 when Baron Edmond de Rothschild purchased it and redesigned the main house. The residence boasts several beautifully decorated official reception rooms, with impressive and carved wood paneling from historic mansions destroyed in the 19th century, and views on its extensive, beautifully landscaped garden.
AXA World Headquarters; Hôtel de La Vaupaliere This is a marvelous opportunity to see how private enterprise has managed to save a historical building in the center of Paris. Architect Ricardo Bofill encased the building in a glass screen covering the courtyard to create an atrium. Claude Bébéar, Chairman of the AXA Supervisory Board, and designer François-Joseph Graf collaborated closely to restore this impressive aristocratic mansion. Completed in 1767, according to designs by the architect Colignon, the Hôtel was used as a private residence until 1947. Serious historical research has gone into the restoration of the rooms. Visitors will be enchanted by the high quality of the decor and furniture, including works by Weisweiler, Boulle, and Jacob, rivaling those of the Louvre. A visit to the private garden will reveal an astonishing example of landscaping in an urban setting.
École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts and the Chapelle des Petits Augustins We will be specially welcomed by Henry-Claude Cousseau, Director, and guided through this awe-inspiring institution by Peter Miller, 19th century art historian, who will relate the history of the École during the 19th when many of the best American architects were graduates. Between 1860 and 1940 over 500 American architectural students studied here, including Richard Morris Hunt, H. H. Richardson and his protege, Charles McKim, John M. Carrère and Thomas Hastings, thus spawning the Beaux Arts architectural movement in the U.S.
We will also visit the Chapelle des Petits Augustins, originally built for Marguerite of Valois and later serving as a museum of French medieval sculpture, created by Alexandre Lenoir during the French Revolution, when it was redesigned by Felix Duban in the 19th century to act as a dépôt for casts and replicas after Italian and French masterpieces. Usually closed to the public, this is a wonderful opportunity to see one of Paris’s hidden treasures.
Luncheon Reception hosted by Florence de Voldere, author and art expert of 16th – 18th century northern European masterpieces in her private residence with views of the Seine and the Place de la Concorde.
Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature; Hôtel de Guenegaud A perfect example of French classical architecture, the Hôtel de Guenegaud is the only building that still exists in its totality that was designed by Francois Mansart (1598 – 1666). Fortunately, a wealthy French family restored it to house their private collection, and it is now the Museum of Hunting, which was the pastime of royalty.
Designed by the most famous architect of the time, the Hôtel de Guenegaud, located in the Marais, is a perfect example of Francois Mansart’s work and one of the finest 17th century mansions in Paris. It houses superb animal drawings and paintings by French artist Desportes, a most impressive collection of hunting weapons made by master craftsmen from the 16th to the 19th centuries, and paintings by Chardin, Oudry, Rubens, Rembrandt and Monet, all having a theme associated with the countryside and hunting. A beautiful interior courtyard and a charming French garden of clipped hedges enhance this superb and well-preserved example of Mansart’s architecture.
Galerie J. Kugel; Hôtel Collot The Hôtel Collot, an important Palladian building accomplished in 1840 by architect Louis Visconti, on the Left Bank overlooking the Seine, houses the Gallery and Private Residence of Nicolas and Alexis Kugel, considered among the world’s leading antique dealers. The famous decorator François-Joseph Graf designed the interior with the Kugel brothers. The Kugel family started their magnificent collection of 17th and 18th century French works of art and furniture in 1875, including items from various royal châteaux. Nicolas and Alexis Kugel, the fifth generation of antiques dealers, will present their museum-quality pieces and share with us how they built their collection.
Hôtel Lauzun Owned by the City of Paris and rarely opened to the public, this masterpiece of 17th century architecture is located on the banks of the Île Saint-Louis overlooking the Seine. The Hôtel de Lauzun was built by the architect Louis Le Vau in 1657 and contains one whole floor of the exuberant and rich decor of the period. The carved, gilded and painted decors leave not a square inch of empty space and give an example of interior decorating during the reign of Louis XIV. The well-proportioned courtyard provides proof of the serenity allowed by fine classical architecture. This building was included on the itinerary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during her official visit to France.
Institut de France Designed by Louis Le Vau in 1663-1664, also the architect of Versailles in 1662, the Institut was constructed using funds bequeathed by Cardinal Mazarin. Located across the Seine from the Louvre, it occupies the former site of the Nêsle gate and tower, which was part of the medieval wall of Paris. The Institut is famous for its cupola and its semicircular flanking buildings, as well as its vast library. Six solid Corinthian columns support a triangular pediment. The Institut de France houses the five académies, of which the most famous is the Académie Francaise, whose 40 members are known as the “Immortals”, considered the “holy of holies” of French intellectual life. We will have the exceptional privilege of visiting the Institut and will be greeted by one of the prominent members of the French Academy or the Chancellor himself.
Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte; Private Visit of the Gardens and the Château and Dinner Reception Designed by Louis Le Vau, 1656-1661, the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte was the most influential construction of its time. The architect, the landscape designer, Le Nôtre, and the painter-decorator, Le Brun, worked together to construct a uniquely harmonious and complementary whole. The Château is symmetrical with engaged classical pilasters, the height of two floors giving vertical emphasis. The central interior salon rises the full height of the house under an oval dome. The formal garden is a balanced composition of gravel walkways, water basins, canals, and planting beds edged with clipped hedges.
Thanks to the exceptional invitation of the proprietors, the Count and Countess de Vogüe we will be allowed a private visit, in the company of the Count and Countess, of the Château and its marvelous gardens, which are closed to the public at this time. We will enjoy a relaxing and intimate dinner, offered by our hosts, during which the proprietors will relate the history and the future of this formidable institution. This invitation is, indeed, an exceptional privilege, in honor of the ICA&CA.
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Chancellérie and the Palais de la Legion d’Honneur, Hôtel de Salm We will be welcomed by General Keleche, Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honor and by General Cartron, Director of the Cabinet of the Grand Chancery, to a private visit to in this beautiful, historic palace housing the ultimate in grandeur of architecture, decor, artwork, and medals of the utmost distinction. Built by the architect Pierre Rousseau between 1782 and 1787, the Hôtel de Salm became the headquarters of the Legion of Honor in 1804, founded by Emperor Napoleon. Destroyed by fire under the Paris Commune in 1871, the Palace of the Legion of Honour was later reconstructed. This palace houses in its magnificent reception rooms and rotunda overlooking the Seine, the ultimate in Napoleonic splendor and majesty. The National Order of the Legion of Honor, founded by Napoleon in 1802, recognizing eminent service to the state, is the highest honor in France.
Thomas Jefferson liked to watch the construction of this house on the banks of the Seine and incorporated some of the architectural ideas in his plan for Monticello. The San Francisco Museum Palace of the Legion of Honor, on the headlands of the Golden Gate in Lincoln Park, is a replica of this building.
Bernard Chevallier, Director of the National Museum Château de Malmaison and renowned expert of the Napoleonic period, will guide us through this magnificent institution.
Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine; Institut Français d’Architecture The Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine opened in the Palais de Chaillot in March 2007. It presents architecture from the 12th century to the current day in an exceptional space of over 230,000 square feet. Its designers are categorical: no other museum or center of architecture in the world offers, in one single place, as many possibilities for interaction and for heightening awareness of architecture. Thanks to the talents of its architects, the Cité won the “Prix de l’Union Européenne pour l’Architecture Contemporaine”.
We will be specially welcomed by François de Mazières, President of la Cité, and have the privilege of exploring the Cité in its entirety with Jean-Francois Bodin, architect of this unequalled institution, and in particular, the Musée des Monuments Français with its three permanent galleries: the Galérie des Moulages, presenting life-sized fragments of French architectural masterpieces from the 12th to 18th centuries; the Galérie des Peintures Murales et des Vitraux (wall paintings and stained-glass windows), based on the same principle of reproducing outstanding pictorial works from historic monuments; and lastly the new Galérie Moderne et Contemporaine, devoted to architecture from 1850 to the present day. Jean-Francois Bodin will also accompany us on an exceptional visit to the terraces of the Cité, where we will look over the outstanding views of Paris.
Cocktail and dinner reception offered by the proprietors in their private mansion, built in 1624 by the architect Pierre Cottard and unanimously recognized by experts as one of the most beautiful and historic private residences in the Marais. An incomparable example of architecture and decorative arts executed by the masters of the time, this seigniorial residence magnifies the splendor of 17th century architecture as it was still emerging from baroque influences.Special local friends will be invited to make for a convivial evening.
Tour price:
$4,200.00 per person based on double occupancy;
$1,000 single supplement applies.
A tax-deductible $300 donation to ICA&CA is included in the tour price.
Space Is Limited
Please email Pamela H. Darling at early convenience pdarling@Eventsofprestige.com to reserve now!