La contribution de l’Art déco à la reconstruction des monuments historiques

The city of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department, was largely destroyed during the First World War. Thanks to its reconstruction, during the 1920s and 1930s, it became one of the North of France’s Art Deco laboratories, alongside the cities of Cambrai and Saint-Quentin. However, unlike these neigh...

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Main Author: Simon Ducros
Format: Article
Language:fra
Published: Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication 2025-04-01
Series:In Situ
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Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/insitu/44441
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author Simon Ducros
author_facet Simon Ducros
author_sort Simon Ducros
collection DOAJ
description The city of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department, was largely destroyed during the First World War. Thanks to its reconstruction, during the 1920s and 1930s, it became one of the North of France’s Art Deco laboratories, alongside the cities of Cambrai and Saint-Quentin. However, unlike these neighbouring cities, the fame of Arras is based today on its emblematic buildings, the cathedral, the town hall, the squares and the Saint-Vaast Palace. These were all reconstructed under the direction of one of the head architects of the national historic monuments administration Pierre Paquet (1875-1959). These monuments overshadow the city’s private Art Deco architecture but also give a misleading impression of a city rebuilt in identical form. The reality is more complicated, and the head architect took pleasure in re-reading, reinterpreting and rationalising the pre-war buildings. The historic monuments of the city become receptacles for plural and extremely rich artistic creation bearing witness to the development of Art Deco. The Saint-Vaast Palace integrates the monumental decoration of Gustave Louis Jaulmes (1873-1959) taken from the festival hall of the 1925 Art Deco exhibition at Paris and, for the restored cathedral, Pierre Paquet brought together a host of artists he had met during that event. Wall painting, sculpture, silverwork and copperware offer examples of the renewal of the decorative arts between the two wars. Dominated by the architecture, these creative productions give subtle overall coherence to the monuments which still today characterise the image of the city.
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spelling doaj-art-4e88399070cc4bb9b7d446e41467be732025-08-20T03:47:37ZfraMinistère de la Culture et de la CommunicationIn Situ1630-73052025-04-015510.4000/13tdrLa contribution de l’Art déco à la reconstruction des monuments historiquesSimon DucrosThe city of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department, was largely destroyed during the First World War. Thanks to its reconstruction, during the 1920s and 1930s, it became one of the North of France’s Art Deco laboratories, alongside the cities of Cambrai and Saint-Quentin. However, unlike these neighbouring cities, the fame of Arras is based today on its emblematic buildings, the cathedral, the town hall, the squares and the Saint-Vaast Palace. These were all reconstructed under the direction of one of the head architects of the national historic monuments administration Pierre Paquet (1875-1959). These monuments overshadow the city’s private Art Deco architecture but also give a misleading impression of a city rebuilt in identical form. The reality is more complicated, and the head architect took pleasure in re-reading, reinterpreting and rationalising the pre-war buildings. The historic monuments of the city become receptacles for plural and extremely rich artistic creation bearing witness to the development of Art Deco. The Saint-Vaast Palace integrates the monumental decoration of Gustave Louis Jaulmes (1873-1959) taken from the festival hall of the 1925 Art Deco exhibition at Paris and, for the restored cathedral, Pierre Paquet brought together a host of artists he had met during that event. Wall painting, sculpture, silverwork and copperware offer examples of the renewal of the decorative arts between the two wars. Dominated by the architecture, these creative productions give subtle overall coherence to the monuments which still today characterise the image of the city.https://journals.openedition.org/insitu/44441historic monumentsArrasArt Decodecorative artsPierre Paquetfirst reconstruction
spellingShingle Simon Ducros
La contribution de l’Art déco à la reconstruction des monuments historiques
In Situ
historic monuments
Arras
Art Deco
decorative arts
Pierre Paquet
first reconstruction
title La contribution de l’Art déco à la reconstruction des monuments historiques
title_full La contribution de l’Art déco à la reconstruction des monuments historiques
title_fullStr La contribution de l’Art déco à la reconstruction des monuments historiques
title_full_unstemmed La contribution de l’Art déco à la reconstruction des monuments historiques
title_short La contribution de l’Art déco à la reconstruction des monuments historiques
title_sort la contribution de l art deco a la reconstruction des monuments historiques
topic historic monuments
Arras
Art Deco
decorative arts
Pierre Paquet
first reconstruction
url https://journals.openedition.org/insitu/44441
work_keys_str_mv AT simonducros lacontributiondelartdecoalareconstructiondesmonumentshistoriques