Exhibition at the museum

Lives and faces. Portraits of artists at the Musée d'Orsay

From April 01st to July 03rd, 2017 -
Metz, Musée de la Cour d'Or
Map & itinerary
Edgar Degas-Naissance de Vénus
Alexandre Cabanel
Naissance de Vénus, 1863
Musée d'Orsay
Attribué aux Musées nationaux par décision judiciaire, 1879
© RMN-Grand Palais (Musée d'Orsay) / Michèle Bellot
See the notice of the artwork

Alongside the masterpieces in the drawings collection at the Musée d'Orsay, such as portraits of Manet by Degas, a self-portrait of Courbet smoking a pipe, a double portrait of Pissarro and Gauguin, among others, works by painters, sculptors and engravers who deserve to be rediscovered as designers are on display for the first time.
The portrait of an artist and a fortiori as a drawing is a genre in itself: whereas painted and sculpted portraits are often intended for exhibition and photographed portraits, due to the technique used, are the result of a device and a pose, drawings reach the most intimate part of a portrait, through their production and purpose. Although the idea of posterity can be seen among artists who are eager to follow in an artistic tradition and write their own pages in the history of art, drawn self-portraits are above all mediums and tools of self-awareness, which can be gained through attentive observation of one’s own deep and penetrating gaze in the mirror. A model within reach of the pencil tip, the artist studies himself with no concern for material constraints: alone or isolated, he can draw tirelessly in an attempt to capture himself in the process of creation.
Portraits of artists by other creators are often gifted to the model or their friends and family: most of the drawings presented had never left the studio or circle of artists before entering public collections. They reflect a certain complicity between the designer and his model, complicity in their profession, style, aesthetic and lifestyle. They are proof of friendship, a symbol of trust, exchanges that stimulate dialogue and emulation.
The resemblance sought is not so much an external resemblance but that of the “essence” of the artist: the aim is to capture his gaze, his look, his style, his temperament. Beyond the reflection of an appearance, portraits can serve as a manifesto, in which the model becomes the pretext for affirming a new perspective.

The exhibition is now over.

See the whole program