Les conférences chez Voltaire : Histoire des collections et collectionneurs d'histoires

If the history of art is made by artists, the role played by collectors is also primordial. Without artists, there would be no creation, but without collectors, the artistic landscape as we know it today would be quite different. Artists and collectors have always been inseparable. Private collections have always fascinated the public, as much for the diversity of the works and artists that make them up as for the great freedom of choice in acquisitions. Although the profile of the collector has constantly evolved throughout the history of art, certain constants still characterize it: a free eye and a quest for specialization, a passion born of an assertive taste and a sensitivity for quality, and the desire and pleasure of opening one's collection to the public. From the cabinets of curiosities of the 17th century to the contemporary art foundations of today, this is another facet of art history that we invite you to explore over the course of these five sessions.