Charles C. Labillarderie Angivillier (425)

Charles-Claude Flahaut de la Billaderie, comte d'Angiviller (24 January 1730–11 December 1809) was an administrator, and a member of the American Philosophical Society, elected in 1784. Born to military stock in Saint-Remy-sur-L’eau, France, d’Angiviller began his career in the family profession under King Louis XV. He served in the battle of Fontenoy alongside the Dauphin of France (1745), who afterwards made him Gentleman of the Sleeve, and tasked d’Angiviller with the education of his sons (including the future King Louis XVI, with whom d’Angiviller became close). The bond proved beneficial for d'Angiviller, and upon Louis XVI’s coronation in 1774, the new king made d’Angiviller Directeur-Général des Bâtiments du Roi. In this role, d’Angiviller successfully reinvigorated the French art scene by implementing a successful system of state-sponsored art programs. D’Angiviller also continued the work of his predecessor in transitioning the Louvre from palace-turned-gallery to full-fledged museum. Faced with institutional gridlock over the massive renovation, the project began to weigh on d’Angiviller. Not above exploiting his favor with the King and Minister of Finance to secure funding to push things along, in 1787 the Assembly of Notables accused d’Angiviller of contributing to France’s economic woes. After the fall of the Bastille in 1789, things only became worse for d’Angiviller and he fled the country in fear for his life. He lived the last decade of his life in exile and died in the small town of Altona, Germany. When the Louvre Museum opened in 1793, d’Angiviller’s name went unmentioned.