Auguste Henri Victor Grandjean de Montigny

Auguste Henri Victor Grandjean de Montigny (Paris, July 15th, 1776 - Rio de Janeiro, March 2nd, 1850) is a French architect whose influence was considerable in the development of architecture to the Brésil. It belonged to the French artistic Mission which arrived at Rio de Janeiro in 1816.

Life in Europe

Grandjean de Montigny was born on July 15th, 1776 in Paris. Remarkable studying it structures about it gained in 1799 the prestigious Prix of Rome, the price most important in art at this time and which enabled him to remain four years with Rome, where it could study the traditional monuments. It returned then to France and worked with the service of Napoleon. Its more important project was the transformation of the Bellevue Palate, in Kassel, in Westphalia, where the king Jerome reigned then, brother of Napoleon.

After the fall of the Empire Grandjean had to return Paris where, like notable the deposed mode, he did not enjoy any more of the favors of antan. He united then at the group of artists who, under the direction of Joachim Lebreton and with the invitation of the Portuguese government, prepared to leave for Rio de Janeiro, where dom João VI and the Portuguese court had settled in 1808.

Life and work in Rio de Janeiro

The French Artistic Mission arrived at Rio de Janeiro on March 26th, 1816. Dom João VI then created the Royal School of Sciences, Arts and Trades, where the French were charged to form a new generation of artists and to carry out projects in conformity with the rules of the neo-classic style, most modern of the time.

Grandjean was charged to conceive and make build the building of the new School, inaugurated in 1826 like Imperial Académie of the Art schools, under the reign of dom Pedro Ier. All that remains of the building of the Academy is the superb gate of traditional style, installed in the Botanical garden of Rio de Janeiro after the demolition of the Academy, in 1938. With the Academy Grandjean was in charge of the course of architecture.

For his particular house, the architect built in Gávea (about 1826) vast and superb neo-classic residence, of two stages, partially surrounded galleries with gantries. The access on the first floor is done by an elegant staircase. The back part of the house comprises two oval living rooms.

The most important project of Grandjean which still exists is the building for Praça C Comércio (Place of the Trade) of Rio de Janeiro, with which dom João VI charged it and which it carried out between 1819 and 1820. The frontages are simple, but the enormous arched interior space of the building, according to a centered plan, inspired of the Roman civic basilicas, is completely remarkable. The main axis is surrounded by galleries with doric columns, and building centers it carries a cupola of which an opening which makes it possible to enter to the light. Its project is completely original compared to all that had been done until then in Rio de Janeiro.

Grandjean also conceived projects which were never carried out, like an Imperial Library (1841), and the Senate of the Empire (1848), probably because they were too ambitious for a young country. The plans of the Senate are today with the National museum of Art schools. Grandjean died in Rio de Janeiro in 1850.

Heritage

Even if it is often said that it is Grandjean de Montigny which introduced neo-classic architecture in Brazil, since the century 18th century one built already according to this style in the colony. In Rio de Janeiro, in particular, the projects of the churches of Candelária (about 1775-1808) and Santa Cruz back Militares have neo-classic elements. Moreover dom João VI had made come from the Portuguese architects, Manuel of Costa and Jose of Costa E Silva, which built the old royal Theater of San João (C. 1813), with a neo-classic frontage inspired of the National theater of San Carlos of Lisbon.

Of what it had conceived, Grandjean de Montigny succeeds in only building well little, and most of its work was destroyed thereafter. It is right if there remains the gate of the Imperial Academy of the Art schools, its particular house, old Praça C Comércio and a fountain, currently on the Summit of Boa Vista.

Even if it built little and if, strictly speaking, it is not him which introduced in Brazil the neoclassicism, the influence of Grandjean de Montigny were considerable in Brazilian architecture. As professor with the Academy, it formed a great number of pupils who knew to give to Brazil a modern architectural language. Among them one counts Brazilian Jose Maria Jacinto Rebelo and Teodoro de Oliveira and the Portuguese Joaquim Cândido Guilhobel, Domingos Monteiro and Francisco Jose Béthencourt da Silva, which left an abundant work in neo-classic style in Rio de Janeiro and in other cities.

What it remains of its work

The residence Grandjean de Montigny (to the 225 of the rua Marks of São Vicente, in Gávea), where lived and died the architect, belongs to Pontifícia Universidade Católica (Pontifical Catholic University) or PUC-Rio, and it shelters an arts center today. Old Praça C Comércio is today the House France-Brazil (Casa França-Brasil) to the 66 of the rua Primeiro de Março, in the Center) and it also shelters an Arts center.

The gate of the Imperial Academy of the Art schools is always visible with the Botanical garden of Rio de Janeiro (at the 1008 of Rua Jardim Botânico). The fountain of Rocio Pequeno is place Antônio Virzeu (Praça Antônio Virzeu), at the Summit of Boa Vista.

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