Guillaume Faroult Books

Published in conjunction with the exhibition Fragonard in love at musée du Luxembourg from 16 September 2015 to 24 January 2016.

Dans la semi-pénombre d'une chambre en désordre, dont tout le faste se résume à un lit trop vaste pourvu d'un somptueux baldaquin rouge, un homme étreint une jeune femme tout en poussant le verrou qui scelle leur isolement. Réalisée à la fin des années 1770 pour un collectionneur réputé et exigeant, le marquis de Véri, cette peinture érotique, apparemment légère, mais affichant une ambition réelle, devait servir de pendant à une Adoration des bergers. Le Verrou, que le souffle de la passion emporte, s'inscrit dans tout un ensemble de représentations amoureuses parfois grivoises, éminemment représentatives de l'esprit de la société française à l'heure où les Lumières vont bientôt vaciller. Elle semble inaugurer également tout un renouvellement de l'inspiration de Fragonard et de la peinture française à l'unisson.

Published for the exhibition Hubert Robert (1733-1808) A Visionary Painter at the musée du Louvre, Paris, from March 9 to May 30, 2016, this work highlights Hubert Robert as a significant 18th-century creator of poetic images, known for his landscapes and depictions of ruins. A witty and urbane figure of the Enlightenment, Robert's artistic journey took him from mid-18th century Rome to the French court, where he crafted spectacular decors during the vibrant decade before the French Revolution. As a chronicler of Paris and its tumultuous late 18th-century history, he concluded his career as a dedicated curator at the Muséum Central des Arts, which later became the Musée du Louvre. Robert's oeuvre is both eclectic and coherent, featuring a diverse array of genres, including poetic landscapes, imaginative urban views influenced by architectural capricci, archaeological studies, and innovative designs for gardens and palatial decorations. This exhibition, the first monographic showcase of Robert's work since 1933, is co-organized by the Musée du Louvre and the National Gallery of Art in Washington. It features approximately 140 exceptional works, including drawings, paintings, sketches, engravings, monumental pieces, and decorative works, made possible through generous loans from prestigious heritage collections in France and abroad.