Françoise Nyssen, Minister of Culture, wishes to pay tribute to Bruno Foucart, art historian and academic, who died on January 5, 2018.
Bruno Foucart has always been close to the historical monuments department of the Ministry of Culture. From the beginning of his career, he was appointed advisor to Michel Guy, then Minister of Culture, and he devoted himself to rehabilitating 19th-century architecture, developing lists of the most representative constructions. He is at the origin of many classifications of buildings of this century and the 20th century as historical monuments, especially in Nancy where he will propose the protection of several Art Nouveau buildings.
Author of many books, he contributes to several thematic issues of the magazine Monuments historiques sur les gares, les musées, les hôpitaux, l'urbanisme ou encore la restauration. In 1979, he curated the large exhibition on Viollet-le-Duc at the Grand Palais. Bruno Foucart also played a major role in the rediscovery of 19th century painting.
In 1995, he was appointed Vice-President of the Commission nationale de l'Inventaire général des monuments et des richesses artistiques de la France.
Member of the Commission supérieure des monuments historiques (work section from 1994 to 2002, then protection section until 2011), he chaired the 13th edition of the Entretiens du patrimoine on the theme “Good use of heritage: use to conserve, or conserve to use?” in November 2003 in Marseille.
He was a board member of the National Monuments Centre from 2005 to 2011.
I extend my deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.