Beaux Arts, Ecole des

Influential art school in Paris, established 1795 to replace the pre-revolutionary Royal Academy; from 1819, architectural training was provided. Through its teaching and awards and commissions, the school dominated French art and design until its position and principles were undermined by the Impressionists. In architecture, it came to be associated with a grandiose form of classicism, termed the ‘Beaux Arts style’. Notable examples are the Paris Opéra 1862 by Charles Garnier (1825–1898) and the Gare du Quai d'Orsay 1898–1900 (now the Musée d'Orsay), Paris, by Victor Laloux.

The ‘Beaux Arts style’ was the inspiration for much French 19th-century architecture and also influenced many architects abroad, particularly in the USA.