Integral to the project is a series of books that define the historical role of the art collection of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture, highlighting its significance for the understanding of French art and art academies more broadly and exploring different aspects related to the composition, arrangement, and history of the collection from the seventeenth century to the present day.

We are currently preparing what will become the first volume of the series (due out in 2024). The volume will feature contributions by Markus A. Castor, Susanna Caviglia, Antoine Gallay, Catherine Girard, Alden R. Gordon, Melissa Hyde, Yuriko Jackall, Mark Ledbury, Guillaume Nicoud, and Hannah Williams and will examine topics including but not limited to reception pieces (approached from a variety of angles), the arrangement of the collection (in its relation to personal networks behind the Académie royale and lectures given by members of the institution), visits to the Académie and the role they played in the Grand Tour, and the instructive function of the Académie’s drawing collection.