ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Five Thinkers Who Shaped the Museum for Cinema

publication · 2026-04-23

A 1997 article in artpress examines the intellectual convergence of Walter Benjamin, Henri Langlois, André Malraux, Jean-Luc Godard, and Gilles Deleuze in rethinking cinema's preservation and exhibition. Despite their disparate backgrounds, each contributed to debates on the aura of filmic works, the necessity of cinema museums, the art of accommodating ruins, the transition from book to video, and the confrontation of images. The piece explores how these figures collectively envisioned new possibilities for displaying, multiplying, and circulating cinematic art.

Key facts

  • The article was published in artpress in February 1997.
  • Five figures are discussed: Walter Benjamin, Henri Langlois, André Malraux, Jean-Luc Godard, Gilles Deleuze.
  • The article addresses the history of cinémathèques in France.
  • It examines the concept of the aura of a work of art.
  • Topics include the need for museums for cinema.
  • It covers the art of accommodating ruins.
  • It discusses the transition from book to video.
  • It explores the confrontation of images.

Entities

Artists

  • Walter Benjamin
  • Henri Langlois
  • André Malraux
  • Jean-Luc Godard
  • Gilles Deleuze

Institutions

  • artpress

Locations

  • France

Sources