Domestic space in France and Belgium: art, literature and design (1860-1910)

This is the first in-depth, illustrated study of the conception and representation of domestic space in French and Belgian modern art and literature. The architectural development of cities such as Paris and Brussels in the late nineteenth century coincided with avant-garde movements in art and literature, together with a renewal of the decorative arts. The story of how French and Belgian artists and writers engaged with a newly-conceived domestic space has, until now, remained obscured in favour of an emphasis on the urban, exterior world. This book’s approach is thematic, focusing on interiority, aesthetics, display, gender, memory, identity and their interplay with the space of the home. Domestic Space in France and Belgium is unique in its interdisciplinary dimension, with contributions from a host of established and emerging international scholars in architecture, art history, literature and museology. Because of this, it boasts an extensive, intellectual scope, from discussions of Flaubert’s realist interiors to those on Symbolist homes and aesthetics.