COLLECTING PARIS | PARIS: CITY OF LIGHT: The Petit Palais Collection and The Universal Exhibition of 1900 with Sylvia Sagona

The Petit Palais was built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition to showcase French culture and refinement. Its ornate jewel box structure soon attracted wealthy 19th century families, who donated their collections.

It is now a little-known treasure trove of decorative arts from the Renaissance to the early 20th century, housing important collections of both Salon and Impressionist art.

This lecture will discuss the role of the great 1900 Exposition Universelle as a vehicle for the myth of Paris, City of Light.

Sylvia Sagona is Fellow of the School of Languages at the University of Melbourne (Department of French and Italian Studies) and specialises in 19th century French art and society.