The leading exponent of the rationalist current in 19th-century France, Labrouste was among the first to understand the potential of the use of iron in architecture.
This volume contains the contributions of a group of scholars on an outstanding figure in 19th-century architecture, in an attempt at deeper analysis of certain aspects previously overlooked, at least in part, by historians, for a more correct interpretation. Many of the essays are based on the talks presented by the participants at the conference Henri Labrouste architect (1801-1875) held in 1996 at the School of Architectural History in Venice. Others are the result of research conducted later, completing the overall portrait of French architect.
The leading exponent of the rationalist current in 19th-century France, Labrouste was among the first to understand the potential of the use of iron in architecture, which he attempted for the first time in a public building, the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève in Paris. Today the Bibliothèque Nationale is still considered his masterpiece, located in Paris, where he was named municipal architect in 1852.