Francis Haskell's 'Le musée éphémère' Examines the Rise of Old Master Exhibitions

Francis Haskell's posthumous book 'Le musée éphémère. Les maîtres anciens et l'essor des expositions,' published by Éditions Gallimard, critically examines the historical development of art exhibitions, particularly those featuring Old Masters. Haskell, who died in 2000, challenges the contemporary hype around blockbuster exhibitions by tracing their origins to late 16th-century Italy and their expansion in the late 18th century. Rather than polemicizing, he focuses on the archaeology of exhibition practices, analyzing early cases from France, Italy, and Great Britain between the 18th and 20th centuries. The book argues that exhibitions play a crucial role in shaping taste and canon formation by making original works accessible, creating new categories of appreciation, generating public desire through publicity, and speculating on attendance. Haskell's previous works—'La Norme et le caprice,' 'De l'art et du goût,' 'L'Historien et les images,' and 'L'Amateur d'art'—inform his interest in the reception of artworks and the phenomenon of artists gaining recognition through a common aesthetic consciousness. The review by François Albera highlights how Haskell's lessons remain valuable for understanding the enduring importance of exhibitions in constructing artistic reputations.