Lecture Series: The Making of the Great Museums of Paris—From 1900 Until Today

Following our previous Zoom series during the winter of 2024 tracing the history and heritage of the extraordinary museums that were established in Paris starting during the Revolution and continuing through the end of the 19th century, we continue the story over the past 125 years with, after an introductory lecture, presentations by the curators and directors of a “house museum”, a “presidential museum”, a “private museum”, and a brand-new museum still in the making:

1. The Making and Remaking of the Nissim de Camondo Museum
2. The Making and Remaking of the Louvre Museum
3. The Making and Remaking of the Fondation Cartier
4. The Making of the Museum of the Great Century

This series will begin on Thursday, January 15 at 12:00 p.m. CST in Chicago/1:00 p.m. EST in Miami/7:00 p.m. CET in Paris, and will continue for the following four Thursdays at the same time.

Guests may register for either individual lectures at $10 for AFMM or AF-Chicago Members/$20 for Non-Members, or for the entire series of five lectures at $40 for Members/$80 for Non-Members.

Guests will receive a recording of all lectures for which they are registered afterward.

About the Series Curator & Moderator

Russell Kelley

Russell Kelley was the curator and moderator of the past five winters’ Zoom lecture series on the HIstory and Heritage of France featuring the “Grands Châteaux of the Loire and Île de France”, “The Making of the French Garden”, “The Great Churches of Paris”, “The Making of the Great Museums of Paris - From the Revolution Until 1900”, and “World Monuments in Paris”. He is the author of The Making of Paris: The Story of How Paris Evolved from a Fishing Village into the World’s Most Beautiful City (Lyons Press, 2021) and Walking Through the Ages of Paris - Ten Historical Walking Tours Through the City of Light (Lyons Press, to be published in 2026), and has lived in Paris for more than 30 years.