Until Dec. 5, the Musée du Louvre and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles present Bouchardon (1698–1762): A Sublime Idea of Beauty, a focused look at the work of French sculptor and draftsman Edme Bouchardon. Housed in the Salle Napoleon beneath the glass pyramid, the retrospective traces Bouchardon’s role as a bridge between classical tradition and the emerging realist sensibility of the 18th century.
Bouchardon, who maintained a studio and private lodgings at the Louvre and later served as Sculptor to the King, is represented by masterful stone carvings that range from delicately rendered angels to dramatic figures from classical mythology. The exhibition highlights his skill in translating classical ideals into lifelike forms, and it emphasizes his influence on the evolution of French sculpture during a period of stylistic transition.
Also on view from Oct. 20 until Jan. 16, 2017, is A Swede in Paris in the 18th Century: The Tessin Collection. Assembled by Count Carl Gustaf Tessin in the first half of the 18th century, this collection features paintings and drawings that reflect Tessin’s taste and his connections to Parisian artistic circles. Many works from the collection were transferred to King Frederick I and Crown Prince Adolf Frederick as settlement for Tessin’s personal debts. The presentation draws on loans and expertise from Stockholm’s Nationalmuseum and offers a complementary perspective on artistic exchange between Sweden and France in the 18th century.
The two exhibitions together provide a compact but rich survey of artistic practice and patronage across Europe during the 1700s: one centered on a French sculptor whose commitment to observation renewed classical forms, the other focused on a private collection that documents cross-cultural collecting and influence. Visitors can expect carefully curated displays, exemplary drawings and sculptures, and interpretive material that situates both Bouchardon’s work and the Tessin Collection within broader artistic and historical contexts.
