Michel Laclotte


Michel Laclotte is an art historian and museum director, specialising in 14th and 15th century French painting.
His first role was as "inspecteur des musées" of the province, then as a professor at the Ecole du Louvre and as head conservator of the paintings department of the Louvre from 1966. Heavily involved in the "projet Grand Louvre", he was the first to hold the role of director of the Louvre between 1987 and 1995.
From 1972, he also championed the idea of turning Paris's gare d'Orsay into a museum, and became its head conservator on its opening in 1986. He took part in the creation of France's "Institut national d'histoire de l'art" between 1995 and 2000, becoming its next "vice-président scientifique".

Main publications

He was also a contributor to many books on the history of painting, including