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Winter Program Series: "Lifting the Curtain"

French Inspiration and American Ambition: The Architectural Practice of Richard Morris Hunt at Marble House

With Theo Lourenco, Preservation Society Curatorial Research Fellow

What you need to know

Marble House 596 Bellevue Ave
Newport, RI 02840
April 25, 2025 11:00am – 12:00pm

SOLD OUT

Please note This program will be offered on March 21 & April 25.

The Preservation Society’s Curatorial Research Fellow from France, Theo Lourenco, will take you on a tour of Marble House to uncover Richard Morris Hunt’s French inspiration for the mansion. As the first American accepted to École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Hunt’s unique education was steeped in the French design tradition of Louis XIV’s Versailles. By examining Hunt’s translation of French design as expressed on the first floor of Marble House, this tour will illuminate the stylistic connections between the City of Light and the City-by-the-Sea.

Theo Lourenco attended École du Louvre, Paris, where he earned a Diploma of the First Cycle, magna cum laude; a Diploma of Museum Studies, summa cum laude; and a Master’s degree in Museum Studies.

His qualifying dissertations were The Louvre: an Encyclopedic Museum? Study of the Pavillon des Sessions, and A Museum in Debate: Study of the Reception of the Decorative Arts Exhibitions at the Louvre (1852-1914).

Theo’s previous work as the Preservation Society’s French Heritage Society Intern significantly increased our institutional knowledge regarding Jules Allard and his business practices. He also has experience as the Assistant Curator for an upcoming exhibition, Louvre-Lens, Lens, and as a Project Coordinator for an event honoring the work of French historian Pierre Singaravélou.

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