Charles Thévenin (1816-1822)

The correspondence of Charles Thévenin as director of the Académie de France in Rome from 1816 to 1822 constitutes the third volume in the chronological order of directors and the fourth volume of the Correspondance des directeurs published under the auspices of the Académie de France in Rome and the Société de l’Histoire de l’Art français. Charles Thévenin (1764-1838), Vincent’s pupil and first prize in painting in 1791, is a somewhat forgotten artist: He made a name for himself by painting the great events of the French Revolution and, while leading a fine official career in the service of Napoleon’s glory (his major works are preserved in the Musée Carnavalet and the Château de Versailles), served as director of the Académie de France in Rome during the reign of Louis XVIII, administering the establishment with wisdom, benevolence and skill, and winning the appreciation of the authorities, the Institute and the boarders, who asked in vain for his mandate to be extended. A secretive man, Charles Thévenin spoke little about himself, but his letters are rich in information about the director’s task, both as a manager bound by the strictest administrative and budgetary rigor, but equally attentive to the prestige and efficiency of the institution (it is to him that we owe, among other things, the campaign to decorate the Trinité des Monts church, initiated under his directorship). Through the exchanges selected and edited by the authors, Charles Thévenin often appears as a sometimes paternal advisor, especially for the still young and inexperienced boarders, which does not prevent him from always remaining vigilant about the activity, progress, worries, demands and obligations that characterized the stay of the “pupils” of the Académie de France in Rome.