Boilly, Parisian chronicles

A virtuoso, prolific and unclassifiable artist, Louis-Léopold Boilly (1761-1845) enthusiastically chronicled Paris for sixty years, from one revolution to the dawn of another (1789 and 1848). He was at once the portraitist of Parisians, the painter of urban scenes, the inventor of striking trompe-l'oeil and the author of piquant caricatures.

This monographic exhibition explores Boilly's prolific career through 130 works that reveal the artist's singularity, brilliance, humor and inventiveness. The exhibition features several masterpieces, previously unseen or exhibited for the first time in France.

Originally from northern France, Boilly set out to conquer the capital at the age of 24, in 1785, and never left. Uninterested in Paris's great history, he was fascinated by the city's modernity, effervescence and spectacle. As a chronicler of daily life, Boilly paints an intimate portrait of a generation.

The artist loved to scrutinize the places and faces of Paris. He distinguished himself in the art of portraiture, capturing the faces of Parisians in the small formats that became his trademark. The portraitist often doubled as a caricaturist, casting an amused, even biting eye on his fellow citizens. His taste for provocation and technical virtuosity can be seen in his Trompe-l'oeil paintings, with their dazzling illusionist quality.

The exhibition also reveals the artist's refined game of staging himself. He paints mocking self-portraits, multiplies signatures and slips in among the protagonists of his crowd scenes, like Alfred Hitchcock in his films. These stratagems create a complicit relationship between artist and viewer. Throughout the exhibition, visitors are invited to take part in a fun treasure hunt to find Boilly's face or clues to his presence.

Organized as a follow-up to the publication of the artist's catalog raisonné by Etienne Bréton and Pascal Zuber (Arthena, 2019), this exhibition will provide an opportunity to discover several masterpieces presented for the first time in France.masterpieces from prestigious private collections, including one of the most important, now housed at the Ramsbury Manor Foundation in the United Kingdom.
As with the previous exhibition, "L'Empire des sens, de Boucher à Greuze", the exhibition takes on a new dimension as it unfolds in eight rooms of the museum.

Admission and headphones included.

Important: health pass + ID + mask are required.