This 18th-century artistic movement is a veritable feast for the senses. Imagine elegant drawing rooms where delicacy and exuberance are intertwined. The fêtes galantes (gallant feasts), scenes of courtly life, form the essence of this style: beauty, amusement, and frivolity captured on canvas, transporting us to a dreamlike world, symbolising the luxury of the era. Rococo transcended painting, influencing fashion, design, and architecture, creating an unmistakable style. Its often-idyllic representations offered a sweet escape from reality.
Antoine Watteau, master of the fête galante, bequeathed us masterpieces distinguished by their originality and his skill in capturing emotion. His paintings depict an idealised world where music and love are the protagonists. Artists such as Jean-Baptiste Pater, his pupil, and Nicolas Lancret, a disciple of the same master, continued his legacy, creating charming compositions. Jacques Lajoue, a collaborator of both, leaned towards a more decorative style, while François Boucher, another grand figure of the Rococo, shared an exceptional artistic sensibility with Watteau.
The Rococo movement spread across Europe: Pietro Longhi portrayed Italian customs, and Josef Frans Nollekens, active in England, is also said to have been a disciple of Watteau. Each, with their own distinctive style, contributed to enriching this movement, seeking evocative atmospheres.
This exhibition has been curated to delight all the senses, inviting you to immerse yourself in the magic of an unparalleled era.
