Among books, under large domes surrounded by pink, the models of the Celine house were filmed that day in one of the most photogenic places in Paris: the Labrouste room, considered the jewel of the Richelieu site, which houses the library of the National Institute of Art History (INHA). Located a stone’s throw from the gardens of the Palais Royal, in the centre of Paris, this former palace of Cardinal Mazarin, built in the 17th century.my century, houses one of the largest collections of books and magazines on art history and archaeology in the world: more than 1.7 million documents are displayed on 4,500 square metres.
In a film by Hedi Slimane, artistic director of Celine, the silhouettes of the spring-summer 2024 collection stroll between rows of tables decorated with lamps with opaline shades. The Labrouste room, whose architecture has been copied around the world, offers a stage made to measure for the camera. It is like entering a giant book. The rays of the sun pass through the domes shaped like crinoline dresses, the corridors are lined with works of art. The place is most solemn, imposing in its serenity.
A year earlier, in February 2022, it was Maria Grazia Chiuri, artistic director of Dior’s women’s collections, who was invited by INHA to speak at a series of conferences entitled: “What is the use of art history today?” Like many designers, artists and researchers, Maria Grazia Chiuri is used to working in this spacious reading room. Which may also explain why in April 2024, as part of the “Dior Tote Book Club” – filmed episodes in which celebrities come to reveal their favorite books – actress Natalie Portman came to spend some time in the library.
Elegance, clarity and an atmosphere of comfort.
These are not the only links that the institution has with fashion: its collections come from the Library of Art and Archaeology, founded around 1910 by the patron Jacques Doucet (1853-1929), then donated to the University of Paris in 1917. A discreet man by nature, far from the extravagance of his contemporary Paul Poiret, Jacques Doucet was a great collector of 18th-century works.my and XIXmy centuries. Noting the absence of a large specialized library in France, he gathered together documentation of extraordinary magnitude.
“His ambition was enormous, “underlines Eric de Chassey, director general of INHA and professor of art history at the École Normale Supérieure in Lyon. He had committed himself to creating a universal reference library on the visual arts – photography, fashion, architecture, archaeology – and, from its inception, he had wanted it to be public. During his adventure, Jacques Doucet surrounded himself with around twenty specialists. “He sent emissaries to Asia, China and Japan to buy works. He spent around 100,000 gold francs a year on the creation of this fund, which represented a significant sum. [environ 447 700 euros]. »
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