ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Henri Langlois: Experimentation and Preservation

cultural-heritage · 2026-04-23

Henri Langlois, co-founder of the Cinémathèque Française in 1936, is recognized as the first theorist and a fervent advocate for film preservation. His essay '300 ans de cinéma' argued for cinema's cultural heritage. The Cinémathèque was founded on the conviction that film constitutes a patrimony worth conserving. Langlois's work laid the groundwork for film archiving as a discipline.

Key facts

  • Henri Langlois co-founded the Cinémathèque Française in 1936.
  • He was the first theorist of film preservation.
  • He wrote the essay '300 ans de cinéma'.
  • The Cinémathèque was created to preserve cinematic heritage.
  • Langlois was a fervent advocate for film conservation.
  • The institution was founded on the belief in film patrimony.
  • Langlois's work established film archiving as a field.
  • The article appears in artpress, May 13, 2011.

Entities

Artists

  • Henri Langlois

Institutions

  • Cinémathèque Française
  • artpress

Sources