The French Revolution, with the collapse of the Ancien Régime, confiscated the vast art collections of the royalty and nobility, classified them as “national property,” and sold them at public auction. French artworks from the 18th century, considered symbols of luxury and rejected, were widely distributed and scattered both within and outside the country. However, in the mid-19th century, as the bourgeoisie established its social and cultural status, interest in lost artworks was revived and became a subject of intellectual and political interest. The culture of collecting that developed at this time went beyond a mere hobby to become a means of expressing social prestige and national identity. This study examines the process of dissemination and acceptance of 18th-century works of art after the Revolution, focusing on how bourgeois collectors transformed their private collections into public cultural heritage. It analyzes in particular the confiscation and auctioning of works of art during the revolutionary period, the development of the culture of collecting and the art market in the 19th century, and the phenomenon of the museification of major collections, in order to discuss their significance and limitations from the perspective of the intersection between private tastes and the public good. It thus aims to highlight the influence of private collectors on the formation of French cultural heritage in the 19th century.