Sophie Delpeux

Sophie Delpeux holds a PhD in Art History from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Her research focuses on representations produced in relation to performance practices as well as those emerging from the medical field at Saint-Louis Hospital in the 19th century. In both cases, the body is exposed—whether voluntarily or involuntarily. These iconographies share a common thread: they question the notions of power, whether endured or claimed, while also revealing the expectations projected onto bodies. Through her work, Sophie Delpeux explores the intersections between representation, authority, emancipation, and care.

The Project

Title: Aesthetic Moments in Healthcare – An Atlas

"Art and its practice within the realm of healthcare are often regarded as therapeutic tools. At a time when museums and medical practitioners widely promote this use for its generally undisputed benefits, this research and creative project seeks to explore an often-overlooked dimension: the aesthetics inherent in care itself—an aspect that art, as an auxiliary, can sometimes overshadow.

Emerging from a dialogue among researchers with diverse expertise—both theorists and practitioners, caregivers and/or creators—"Aesthetic Moments in Healthcare – An Atlas" aims to shed light on moments that are often difficult to express but that, through their intensity, belong to aesthetics in the Deweyan sense. Our hypothesis is that identifying, naming, and compiling these moments could renew our understanding and experience of healthcare, offering a novel contribution to debates in the humanities and social sciences.

The ambition of this project is to create an atlas, a sensitive and scientific mapping of these moments, anchored in space and time. To initiate this inventory, the project proposes the creation of four sound compositions, each accompanied by launch events bringing together the academic world, the artistic community, and healthcare spaces.

Institution: University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne

Selected Publications

• Gina Pane: Actions through Time, London, Routledge, 2025 (co-authored with Alice Maude-Roxby)
• Après le musée des moulages, Paris, Empire Editions, 2025
• Soigner l’image. Destin des beaux cas de dermatologie de l’hôpital Saint-Louis (1801-1979), Paris, PUF, 2025