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Re-Examining the Socio-Political Functions of Art Museums: A Case Study of the Louvre Museum
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Mohammad Mostafa Yazdanpanah   |
| Department of Advanced Studies of Art, School of Visual Arts, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran |
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Abstract: (106 Views) |
| Art Museums have historically been pivotal in advancing the socio-political agendas of governments and various social groups since their establishment in the 18th century. The Louvre Museum, established in 1793 during the French Revolution, was not just the first public Art Museum but also a deliberate instrument of the French Republic's ideals. Unlike earlier public collections, the Louvre's structure and mission were explicitly tied to the socio-political goals of the Republic, making it a powerful state tool and a model for other European Art Museums. This research employs the Discourse Analysis approach to investigate the socio-political roles of the Art Museum, using the Louvre as a case study. It explores how the Louvre's structure and functions were aligned with the socio-political objectives of the French Republic and the First French Empire. The findings of this research indicate that the Louvre Museum played crucial roles in defining national identity, endorsing government policies, representing political and cultural authority, "civilizing" citizens and also influenced the art market and attracted foreign tourists. By the late 19th century, many of these functions had diminished, but 20th-century institutions, like the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), revived and adapted these roles for contemporary purposes. This research is related to the New Museology, a theorical field which is close to the Cultural Studies and challenges traditional notions of museums as neutral repositories of Art and it used a descriptive-analytical method to analyze library data |
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| Keywords: Art Museum, The Louvre Museumm, French Revolution, Enlightenment, New Museology. |
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Full-Text [PDF 361 kb]
(34 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Received: 2025/05/12 | Accepted: 2025/06/23 | Published: 2025/06/23
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