WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — In partnership with the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), the Clark Art Institute opens the first exhibition ever presented of the National Library of France's eighteenth-century French drawings.

 

The exhibition, "Promenades on Paper: Eighteenth-Century French Drawings from the Bibliothèque nationale de France," includes a selection of eighty-four studies, architectural plans, albums, sketchbooks, prints, and optical devices that expand understanding of drawing as a tool of documentation and creation in the age of Enlightenment. 

 

These works of art span the domains of natural history, current events, theater design, landscape, and portraiture. 

 

Works by celebrated artists of the period such as François Boucher and Gabriel de Saint-Aubin are featured alongside drawings by unexpected practitioners, including female printmakers, royal children, and architects. 

 

"Promenades on Paper: Eighteenth-Century French Drawings from the Bibliothèque nationale de France" is on view at the Clark Art Institute from Dec. 17, 2022 through March 12, 2023. The exhibition then travels to the Musée des Beaux-arts de Tours, France, and will be on view from May 12 through August 28, 2023.

 

"The Bibliothèque nationale de France is one of the world's greatest libraries, with astounding collections that go far beyond books," said Olivier Meslay, Hardymon Director of the Clark Art Institute.  "We are honored that the BnF chose to partner with the Clark to provide the opportunity to share these exquisite drawings with the world. We are deeply indebted to the Getty Foundation for its support that made possible the extensive research for this exhibition. It is very exciting to have the opportunity to be on the forefront of bringing these magnificent works on paper to the public for the first time."

 

The exhibition was conceived in a collaborative partnership between the Clark's curatorial staff and that of the BnF. A grant from the Getty Foundation's Paper Project initiative supported the work of Clark-Getty Curatorial Fellow Sarah Grandin, who spent time in Paris working alongside BnF library colleagues combing through its extensive collection of drawings.

 

"The decision to focus on eighteenth-century drawings was made in recognition of the fact that these works are among the least known of the BnF's art collections," said Anne Leonard, the Clark's Manton Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs. "Whereas the BnF's seventeenth-century and nineteenth-century French drawings have been documented in separate exhibitions and catalogues, even field specialists are largely unfamiliar with the eighteenth-century material. Visitors of all kinds can look forward to many delightful surprises in this exhibition."