"Paris is the world," wrote Marivaux in 1734. "The rest of the earth is merely its suburbs." His soaring elegy to the French capital captured the city's central place in the imagination of the Enlightenment. This masterclass examined how Paris became synonymous with gleaming architectural wonders, harmonious facades, and numerous public squares, in the context of France’s social, political, and cultural upheavals during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Presented by internationally renowned historians and notable curator of International Art from the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), this Melbourne Masterclass was held at the University of Melbourne and the NGV over five consecutive days with a combination of lectures, interactive and facilitated discussions, with the integration of objects and art works in select presentations.