[exposition] Promenades on Paper : Eighteenth-century French Drawings from the Bibliothèque nationale de France

De 17 décembre 2022 au 23 mars 2023, le Clark Art Institute, situé à Williamstown dans le Massachusetts, organise avec le département des Estampes et de la photographie de la Bibliothèque nationale de France, une exposition sur le dessin au 18^e siècle à partir des collections de la BnF.

L’exposition sera ensuite présentée au Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tours du 12 mai au 28 août 2023.

Argument (en anglais)

In partnership with the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), the Clark is organizing the first exhibition of the library’s eighteenth-century French drawings. The selection of eighty-six enchanting studies, architectural plans, albums, sketchbooks, prints, and optical devices expands our understanding of drawing as a tool of documentation and creation in the age of Enlightenment, spanning the domains of natural history, current events, theater design, landscape, and portraiture. Displayed together, these objects immerse audiences in the world of eighteenth-century France—a world shaped by invention, erudition, and spectacle. Works by celebrated artists of the period such as François Boucher (1703–1770) and Gabriel de Saint-Aubin (1724–1780) are featured alongside exquisite drawings by lesser-known practitioners, including talented women, royal children, and visionary architects.

Promenades on Paper: Eighteenth-Century French Drawings from the Bibliothèque nationale de France is co-organized by the Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris. It is curated by Esther Bell, Deputy Director and Robert and Martha Berman Lipp Chief Curator; Sarah Grandin, Clark-Getty Curatorial Fellow; and Anne Leonard, Manton Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs from the Clark, and by Corinne Le Bitouzé, Conservateur général; Pauline Chougnet, Conservateur en charge des dessins; and Chloé Perrot, Conservateur des bibliothèques from the Bibliothèque nationale.

This exhibition is made possible by Jessie and Charles Price. Major funding is provided by Elizabeth M. and Jean-Marie Eveillard, the Getty Foundation through its Paper Project initiative, and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. The exhibition catalogue is made possible by Denise Littlefield Sobel.

Informations pratiques

• Tarifs et horaires : https://www.clarkart.edu/visit/hours-and-admission
• Clark Art Institute, 225 South St, Williamstown, MA 01267, États-Unis
• Présentation détaillée de l’exposition sur le site de l’institut, avec dossier de photographies à télécharger, url : <https://www.clarkart.edu/About/Press-Room/Press-Room-Archives/2022-Archives/Promenades-on-Paper-Eighteenth-Century-French-Draw>.

Catalogue

Un catalogue paraît pour l’occasion, avec, en couverture, la fameuse Vue intérieure de la nouvelle salle projetée pour l’agrandissement de la bibliothèque du Roi d’Étienne-Louis Boullée¹ :

Auteur

• Bell, Esther. Éditeur
• Grandin, Sarah. Éditeur
• Le Bitouzé, Corinne. Éditeur
• Léonard, Anne. Éditeur
• Guichard, Charlotte. Collaborateur
• Martin, Meredith. Collaborateur
• Chougnet, Pauline. Collaborateur

Résumé de l’éditeur

An illustrated exploration of the largely unpublished collection of eighteenth-century French drawings, albums, and sketchbooks at the Bibliothèque nationale de France

Promenades on Paper explores the largely unmined collection of eighteenth-century drawings held in the Department of Prints and Photography of the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Among the 50 featured artists are some of France’s most celebrated eighteenth-century practitioners, including Madeleine Basseporte (1701–1780), François Boucher (1703–1770), Gabriel de Saint Aubin (1724–1780), and Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806), alongside architects, designers, and printmakers. Scattered across the institution’s vast reserves, these drawings have until now served primarily documentary purposes. In this book, leading international scholars introduce more than 80 drawings, albums, and sketchbooks—many published here for the first time—and reveal how artists used drawing to record, critique, and try to improve the world around them.

Informations pratiques

• Éditeur : Williamstown (Mass.) : Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute 
• Date de parution : 2023
• Description matérielle : 1 vol. (272 p.) : ill. en coul., couv. ill.
• ISBN 978-03-00266931 (rel.) : 50 USD

1. Voir : [Restauration de la Bibliothèque nationale] : [dessin] / [Boullée], Gallica. Disponible sur Internet, url : <https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b77010108>. [↩]

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