The Preservation Society of Newport County will host a two-day symposium examining French influences on Newport’s Gilded Age mansions, featuring presentations by international curators and scholars.
“The Newport Symposium: The French Influence in Newport” will take place Nov. 6-7 at Rosecliff and Marble House, exploring how America’s elite looked to French aristocracy for inspiration in art, architecture, design and cuisine.
The program will examine iconic Newport properties designed by architects who drew from French palaces. Richard Morris Hunt, the first American trained at Paris’ École des Beaux-Arts, modeled Marble House after Versailles’ Petit Trianon. Horace Trumbauer based The Elms on the 18th-century Château d’Asnières, while Stanford White incorporated elements of Versailles’ Grand Trianon into Rosecliff’s design.
Mathieu Deldicque, chief curator and museum director of Château de Chantilly in France, will deliver the keynote address. He serves on the Preservation Society’s International Council.
Other speakers include Dr. Justine De Young, associate professor and chair of the history of art department at Fashion Institute of Technology; Bob Shaw, production designer for HBO’s “The Gilded Age”; and food culture historian Becky Libourel Diamond.
Attendees will tour several Newport properties, including Marble House, The Breakers, Chateau-sur-Mer, The Elms and Ochre Court. Registration includes access to the “Richard Morris Hunt: In a New Light” exhibition at Rosecliff.
Founded in 1993, the annual symposium brings together fine and decorative arts experts from across the country. Russell Morin Catering & Events, Kirby Perkins Construction, Newport Design Week and the Newport Symposium Committee sponsor the event.
Tickets are available at www.newportmansions.org/events/the-newport-symposium-the-french-influence-in-newport.
The Preservation Society of Newport County maintains 11 historic properties, seven designated as National Historic Landmarks. The nonprofit organization is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
