AU COURANT Spring 2016 Château de Chantilly Dîner des Mécènes | Louis Benech | Van Cleef & Arpels | Education | François Asselin | 35th Anniversary | Grants 2016 | Past National & Chapter Events Discover the secretive world of jewelry and watchmaking L’École Van Cleef & Arpels is open to all, off ering innovative and varied instruction in these exceptional crafts. By learning about the history of jewelry and watchmaking, discovering the savoir-faire and trying out diff erent techniques, anyone can become an enlightened amateur. 22 Place Vendôme - 75001 Paris www.lecolevancleefarpels.com 1604123_VCA_FR_FRENCH HERITAGE SOCIETY MAG_18MAI_ECOLE_219x285.4.indd 1 25/04/2016 17:52 Message from the Chairman LOOKING AHEAD to Our 35th Anniversary Gala at the Château de Chantilly The château’s art gallery, the Musée Condé, houses one of the most outstanding painting collections in France with works by Clouet, Poussin, van Dyck, Greuze, Delacroix, Ingres, and most importantly, three works of Raphael. The library of the Petit Château contains priceless manuscripts and books, such as “Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry”. My very favorite rooms are those decorated with playful monkeys, the “Grande Singerie” (or Monkey Room), and a smaller boudoir, which were painted by Christophe Huet in the mid- 1730s showing monkeys dressed in court attire as they hunt, drink chocolate, dance, sing, and engage in the arts of geography, paintings, sculpture, and music. The stables, near the Chantilly Racecourse, are as splendid as the château itself. “Les Grandes Écuries” are a masterpiece Discover of 18th-century architecture in which no expense was spared. the secretive world For our Gala Dinner and Ball on Saturday, October 7th, 2017, we will stroll through the gorgeous rooms of Chantilly, admire the décor and of jewelry Detail from the Grande Singerie at the Château de Chantilly decorative arts, smile with delight at the little monkeys, and be dazzled French Heritage Society will celebrate its 35th Anniversary in 2017! by the paintings. We will then progress to the stables for a ballet of and watchmaking Congratulations to our founder Michèle le Menestrel Ullrich for her prancing horses before a unforgatable sumptuous dinner in the château. inspired idea of engaging Americans with a love of France to raise restoration funds for beautiful places in France as well as those of French FHS has had an ongoing important presence at Chantilly. Each summer we send one or two American students to act as a guide (a L’École Van Cleef & Arpels is open to all, inspiration in the United States. With a shared passion for France, this fledging group has grown over the decades to become a respected and stagiaire) at Chantilly as a part of our important Student Exchange off ering innovative and varied instruction in influential powerhouse for both architectural preservation and the Program. Also, Pierre-Antoine Gatier, one of France’s Chief these exceptional crafts. promotion of French culture. Architects for historic preservation, who oversaw recent restorations at Chantilly, was our first French Richard Morris Hunt fellow in 1991. By learning about the history of jewelry and There is nothing like a birthday celebration, and our 35th should top all The RMH program is an architectural studies exchange program in watchmaking, discovering the savoir-faire and trying out of our previous anniversaries. This is a tall task as other key birthdays which FHS participates thanks to Michèle le Menestrel Ullrich. Thus, our choice of Chantilly is very appropriate indeed. diff erent techniques, anyone can become have been celebrated at such mythic places as Versailles, Chenonceau, Vaux-le-Vicomte and Fontainebleau. In 2017, our festivities will an enlightened amateur. Our 35th Anniversary celebration will commence on October 2nd, conclude with a splendid gala at the Château de Chantilly. Chantilly 2017, with a fascinating trip to Normandy in which we will discover is a magical vision of beauty, both inside and out. Surrounded by 22 Place Vendôme - 75001 Paris the 19th-century world of Proust centered around Deauville as well shimmering lakes, and embellished with formal gardens designed by as the equestrian world of Normandy. This will be followed by a two- Le Nôtre for the Grand Condé (who considered himself to be the equal www.lecolevancleefarpels.com day trip in Paris where private doors will open for our lucky travelers. of Louis XIV), Chantilly is actually comprised of two châteaux, which The sparkling Gala at Chantilly on October 7th will conclude our 35th are lavishly decorated and filled with some of the most important Anniversary celebrations. art treasures in all of France. Both the Grand Château and the Petit Château were built in the mid-16th century (on the original site of a All of these festivities will center on raising needed restoration funds previous medieval château) for the powerful Constable Anne (a man!) for our core mission of architectural preservation. Do join us as we de Montmorency. The Grand Château was destroyed in the French celebrate our landmark 35th Anniversary. Your participation will help Revolution and was rebuilt in 1875–1881 by Henri d’Orléans, duc us preserve French and French-inspired heritage for the future. I look d’Aumale, a son of King Louis-Philippe. forward to welcoming you. The duc d’Aumale brought precious furniture and decorative arts from the royal family and other family-owned châteaux back to Chantilly to recreate the grandeur of the time of the Princes of Condé. With beautiful boiserie in white and gold from the time of the Regency, the period following the death of Louis XIV, as well as later boiserie from the time of Louis XV, when the Prince de Condé was a Minister Elizabeth Stribling of the King, Chantilly is one of the rare châteaux that is furnished Chairman as splendidly as it would have been before the French Revolution. French Heritage Society 01 1604123_VCA_FR_FRENCH HERITAGE SOCIETY MAG_18MAI_ECOLE_219x285.4.indd 1 25/04/2016 17:52 Message from the President Table of Contents MEETING IN FRANCE Board and Chapter Chairmen Confirm a New Emphasis for our Mission 1 - An emphasis on major players in the world of heritage In recent years FHS has honored at its various galas individuals and companies that, through their activities, contribute to the cause of heritage. These include designers Tim Corrigan, Jacques Garcia, Juan Pablo Molyneux, family businesses like Taittinger champagnes, Hanriot champagnes, companies like Hermes, the Banque Transatlantique, and at the next Paris Gala on May 18th, Van Cleef & Arpels and Louis Benech. We promote these figures and their roles through interviews in Au Courant, testimonials that enrich our perception of historic heritage: they illustrate that preservation, restoration, and reuse of heritage sites inspire such talent, passion, commitment, creations... and skills! 2 - An increased presence on US soil In 2015 and 2016 we supported the restoration of more monuments in connection with France on American soil. This significant development is due to the commitment of our Chairman of the Board, Elizabeth Stribling. In order to raise Americans awareness of our work, it is important to show that a significant part of the historical heritage of the US was influenced by the French presence in 17th and 18th centuries and the great historic relationship Pilar & Juan Pablo Molyneux receive FHS at the Château de Pouy. between France and the US. At the end of April FHS’ Board and the Chapter Chairmen were able 3 - The transmission of knowledge and know-how to experience three French historical monuments where they were From the very beginning we organized exchanges for students, received: in Canisy (my ancestral château in Normandy) for a retreat, architects (Richard Morris Hunt Prize) and artisans. But thanks to the Cercle de l’Union Interalliée in Paris for the Board and the Chapter Diane de Roquette-Buisson and Amy Fienga the Student Exchange Chairmen meetings, and finally the Château de Pouy, where we were Program has developed considerably. Also for our trips, seeing invited by Pilar and Juan Pablo Molyneux for an unforgettable evening. artisan workshops is increasingly important because it captivates our members. The latest issues of Au Courant have devoted much I think this «immersion» for several days in beautiful French monuments space to these student exchanges and artisans as we want to highlight makes a lot of sense in terms of what we stand for, as actors for the their work. Finally, the creation in Paris and New York of the protection of historic buildings, but it was also fruitful and inspiring for Young Friends Circle (for 25 to 45 year olds) demonstrates how our our exchanges and reflections on the future of our organization. approach to heritage can attract and inspire the younger generation. First on the agenda at the retreat at Canisy was a «three year strategic Our visit to Pouy was the highlight of all these positive plan» prepared by Isabelle Lefebvre-Vary in collaboration with our developments: Juan Pablo Molyneux has proven to be a master in new Board member Tim Corrigan. But soon our collective thinking the art of bringing heritage to life. With a solid classical training, he shifted beyond a quantitative assessment of fundraising targets via developed his talent by his own sensitivity, his fertile imagination, special events, membership, chapter fundraising, corporate fundraising and even daring. But he adds to his extraordinary creative talent a etc. We gave great thought and discussion to the current developments passion to convey to younger generations the tools that will allow in our organization which cover three areas: them in turn to create. To this end, in the outbuildings of Pouy, he houses the new foundation he created to support skilled craftsmen, • Beyond fundraising for restoration grants, FHS showcases with training workshops to perfect their craft.