Delphine Peresan-Roudil Publishes 'Matrimoine: Un héritage culturel empêché' on Women's Erased Heritage
Art historian Delphine Peresan-Roudil delves into the historical erasure of women's cultural heritage in her book 'Matrimoine. Un héritage culturel empêché.' This 288-page work, available for €21, traces the origin of the term 'matrimoine' back to 1150, highlighting its decline in the 17th century due to the increasing masculinization of the French language. Inspired by the installation of ten women’s statues at Porte de la Chapelle for the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, she conducted interviews with Damien Gabriac and Salome Stevens. The book also introduces 'xatrimoine,' a term created by Aude Denis to encompass non-binary heritage. Peresan-Roudil emphasizes the public's growing interest since the 2015 Journées du matrimoine and critiques the systemic exclusion of women artists, referencing Ernst Gombrich and Linda Nochlin.
Key facts
- Delphine Peresan-Roudil is an art historian and corporate lecturer who specializes in mechanisms of erasure.
- Her book 'Matrimoine. Un héritage culturel empêché' is published by Éd. de l'Atelier, 288 pages, priced at 21 €.
- The term 'matrimoine' dates back to at least 1150 and originally referred to property inherited from the mother.
- The word disappeared in the 17th century when the Académie française masculinized the French language.
- The 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony featured ten statues of women emerging from the Seine, which inspired the book.
- The statues were permanently installed at Porte de la Chapelle, increasing female statues in Parisian public space.
- Ellen Hertz rediscovered 'matrimoine' in 2002, thinking she had coined a neologism.
- Aude Denis of HF+ Hauts-de-France coined 'xatrimoine' to include non-binary heritage.
- Journées du matrimoine were launched in Paris in 2015 by HF Île-de-France, and later in Rennes and Bordeaux; Lille launched its own in 2024.
- Ernst Gombrich's 1950 art history book did not cite a single woman artist.
Entities
Artists
- Delphine Peresan-Roudil
- Ellen Hertz
- Aurore Evain
- Christine de Pizan
- Ernst Gombrich
- Michelle Perrot
- Linda Nochlin
- Damien Gabriac
- Salome Stevens
- Aude Denis
- Joséphine Brueder
Institutions
- Beaux Arts Magazine
- Éd. de l'Atelier
- Artips
- Beaux Arts & Cie
- École du Louvre
- Académie française
- BnF
- HF Île-de-France
- HF+ Hauts-de-France
- Heritage Images
- Fine Art Images
- akg-images
Locations
- Paris
- France
- Seine
- Porte de la Chapelle
- Rennes
- Bordeaux
- Lille
- Hauts-de-France
- Île-de-France