Sunday, November 25, 2018

Louis-Philippe at Versailles

From the Versailles website:
On 6 October 1789, when Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette and the royal family were forced to leave Versailles, the Palace was left empty, never to be used as a royal residence again. Heir to the Orléans family, Louis Philippe I had little in common with the Versailles of the Ancien Régime, but he showed an interest in the Palace from the moment he ascended to the throne in 1830. The new King of the French became intent on transforming this monarchist building into a national monument dedicated “to all the glories of France”.  He imagined it as a museum open to all with an educational purpose, where paintings could be consulted like a picture book. His aim, truly political, was to reconcile the deeply divided French people but more especially to ensure that his reign left its mark in the country’s history. The exhibition will retrace Louis Philippe's tastes and the king’s direct involvement in the work culminating in the inauguration of the Historic Galleries on 10 juin 1837(Read more.)
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