Jean Benoît Vincent[1] Barré (
Seine-Port,
Seine-et-Marne, 22 January 1735 – Seine-Port, 27 January 1824) was a
French architect. He was one of the most important architects of the 18th century and one of the creators of the
'Louis XVI style' of architecture.
In 1772, Barré gave himself over to property speculation in the Nouvelle France quartier of Paris, in association with
Jean-François Perrin de Cypierre, intendent of the
généralité of
Orléans. Later he speculated in association with
Antoine Roy, who married Barré's daughter Adélaïde-Sophie in 1793 and had two daughters by her.[3] (Roy made a great fortune and became
finance minister upon the
Bourbon Restoration.)
In 1797, Barré retired to his property of La Chesnaye at
Seine-Port where he died of old age in 1824.
Château du Lude (
Sarthe), 1785, for the marquess of La Vieuville : Barré realised an important landscaped garden in removing the previous courtyard, building a portico to the western rooms and constructing the wing in the Louis XVI style. To the east, he masked the towers using parallel pavillons with higher roofs than the central pavillon, created a unified facade. The somewhat archaistic allure of this facade also avoids too marked a rupture with the 17th century parts of the building.
For the financier
Jean-Joseph de Laborde, Barré created interior decorative schemes and, above all, more of his famous garden landscapes (in collaboration with the painter
Hubert Robert) : cenotaph of Cook,
rostrum-type column, temple of filial
Pietas, Gothic tower, ruined bridge.
Hôtel Micault d'Harvelay, quartier de la chaussée d'Antin, Paris, for
Joseph Micault d'Harvelay, Jean-Joseph de Laborde's father in law (destroyed).
Hôtel d'Aubeterre, quartier de la chaussée d'Antin, Paris (destroyed).
Maison de Monsieur Girault, Boulevard de la Chaussée d’Antin
Hôtel de Laborde, Boulevard des Italiens
Transformation of the château de
Chevilly (
Loiret), for Jean-François Perrin de Cypierre.
References
Bibliography
Michel Gallet, Les architectes parisiens du XVIIIe siècle, Paris, Éditions Mengès, 1995 –
ISBN2-85620-370-1
Michel Gallet and Gérard Rousset-Charny, « Barré », Macmillan Encyclopedia of Architects, 1982
Notes
^Certain sources equally give the names Jean Baptiste Vincent or even Nicolas. He has equally been identified with a Toussaint Barré, builder of the main workshop for manufacturing Indienne-style cotton goods, founded by
Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf at
Jouy-en-Josas.
^Laure, who married the marquis de Talhouet, beginning the Talhouet-Roy line which still owns the château du Lude; and Élisa, countess of Lariboisière, founder of the
hospital of the same name.