France - Introduction
Oxford’s history with France goes back to the very first days of the
University’s inception: although university-level teaching is known to
have existed at Oxford in some form in 1096, the University of Oxford
developed rapidly from 1167 onwards after English students were banned
from attending the University of Paris by Henry II, the English King.
Since then, academic links between them have grown and have, over the
centuries, gone from strength to strength.
Ties between Oxford
and France were greatly strengthened in the 1940s by the establishment
of the Maison Française d'Oxford, which was set up with the aim of
consolidating the links between the two sides of the Channel, in both
academic and cultural terms. Today, the Maison Française is a unique and
vibrant hub for international and interdisciplinary academic
cooperation and research, with a number of Oxford faculty affiliated
with the centre.
Libraries and Museums
Oxford’s collections hold an extensive range of French artifacts, books, manuscripts and art. A recent piece of exciting news
regarding the Ashmolean museum’s French art collection relates to a
highly important portrait by French impressionist artist Manet. The
Portrait of Mademoiselle Claus, 1868, is one of only a handful of Manet
paintings residing in the UK, but had been sold to a private foreign
buyer and was due to be exported from the country. Judged to be of
outstanding cultural importance, the cultural minister Edward Vaisey put
a temporary export ban on the painting. This opened up the opportunity
for a British public institution to purchase at 27% of the market value,
as long as the funds could be raised before the temporary ban expired.
The Ashmolean swiftly launched its ‘Save Manet’ campaign appealing to
public funding bodies, trusts, private individuals and members of the
public to help keep this item of exceptional cultural significance from
leaving the country. Over 8 months an extraordinary response meant that
the museum was able to raise the £7.83 million required to keep the
portrait in the UK. The museum has called it “the most significant
purchase in the Ashmolean's history” which will transform Oxford into
one of the world’s leading centres for the study of Impressionist
painting.
The Portrait of Mademoiselle Claus will be shown at a
number of museums in the UK in a special exhibition. The Ashmolean is
also planning a full programme of educational activities, family
workshops, and public events inspired by the painting. Given that the
portrait has only been displayed publicly once since it was painted,
this represents a triumph for Britain’s cultural landscape.
The Study of…
Collaboration…
People…
