1882: a group of designers and industrialists founded the Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs (UCAD) as a private institution in order to promote the "beauty and usefulness" of the applied arts and opposing the prevailing distinction between these and the fine arts of sculpture, painting, architecture. In 1905, UCAD moved to a wing of the Louvre, becoming an important centre for teaching, and conserving and displaying its nationally important collections through permanent and temporary exhibitions. The Arts Décoratifs reflects and examines our evolving lifestyles, through the applied arts.
The main building on Paris's rue de Rivoli houses various collections of furniture, ceramics, glass, jewellery, toys, fashion, textiles and advertising from the Middle Ages to the present. Visitors can discover the works of contemporary designers, or attend the Ateliers du Carrousel workshops.
The Musée Nissim de Camondo – an early 20th-century townhouse built by the eponymous banker, collector and art patron – presents his collection of 18th-century objects and artworks. The Ecole Camondo, on boulevard Raspail, trains tomorrow's interior architects and designers.
As a member of the institution's Club des Partenaires, the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès demonstrates its commitment to the culture of fine objects, and the decorative arts.
