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In this thesis, I shall consider the influence of imperial Rome on the monumental architecture of Napoleonic Paris. Critics have often condemned Napoleonic architecture for its 'decadence,' and suggested that it illustrates the 'decline' of 'Neo-classicism' in France. Alternatively, the Napoleonic monuments have been regarded merely as propaganda for the new regime. A particular problem is that the Hellenocentric tradition of the History of Art has tended to write out the 'Romanness' of Napoleonic art. Yet a unique architectural relationship developed between Paris and Rome in the second half of the eighteenth century. Central to this relationship was the study of Roman buildings undertaken by the students at the Academie de France A Rome. The onset of the Revolution gave architects the opportunity to design 'Roman' monuments and festival structures in Paris and Rome, and the Revolutionaries embraced the iconography of the Roman Republic. However, it was only with the rise to power of Napoleon and his coronation as Emperor of the French that Paris was established as the 'new Rome'. Inspired by the building projects of the emperors of ancient Rome, Napoleon created his own 'forum' in the heart of imperial Paris. This featured the display of spoils in the 'new Capitol', the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, and nearby, the Colonne d la Grande Armee in the Place Vendome. To start with, Napoleon attempted to erect monuments which implied his affiliation to the first emperor of Rome, Augustus, who had secured his position in the name of the Republic and brought peace and prosperity to Rome. But by 1810, it was clear that the emperor Trajan represented a more appropriate imperial model for Napoleon. Trajan was renowned for his military leadership, but also for engaging Rome in constant war.

This dissertation examines the role of modern design, architecture, and concepts in sites that linked Paris with France’s colonial empire in the interwar period. I argue that the colonies were a significant part of modern life in Paris, with efforts made to promote the use of colonial materials and motifs and regular attention to the colonies shown by the popular and architectural press. I look at the Grande Mosquée de Paris, colonial pavilions and themes in the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts décoratifs et industriels modernes, sections of the 1931 Exposition Coloniale featuring modern design and technology, the Musée Permanent des Colonies at the Palais de la Porte Dorée, and ways in which Parisian design and planning shaped the experiences of tourists in the colonies. I trace a cultural history of these spaces, examining their documentation and reception in the contemporary press, the role of modern architecture as a site for anti-colonial protest, and the relationship between sites representing the colonies and modern literature. This dissertation shows, through examination of colonial spaces and their representation in the media, that design and architecture served as a means of locating and fixing French identity both temporally and spatially.

Résumé français non transmis par le doctorant. / Résumé anglais non transmis par le doctorant.

No description available.