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8/24/2011 Houston—August 2011— Beginning September 18,
the MFAH presents Life & Luxury: The Art of Living in Eighteenth-Century
Paris, which re-imagines, through art and
material culture, the lifestyle of elite 18th-century Parisians. The exhibition follows the conventional activities in the cycle of a Parisian day—dressing, writing, collecting, eating, and evening entertainment—offering a glimpse of these forgotten activities. The exhibition will be on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, following its premier at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Bringing together some 160
objects, roughly half of them loans from 26 museums and
private collections around the world, the exhibition will include
a wide range of paintings, sculpture, applied arts, drawings,
metalwork, furniture, architectural fittings, lighting and
hearth fixtures, scientific and musical instruments, clocks and
watches, textiles and dress, books, and maps.
―The MFAH is pleased to host
this unique exhibition, said Gwendolyn H. Goffe, MFAH interim director. ―A multitude of museums from around the
world have loaned important works of art including the Louvre, The National Gallery, London, National Galleries of Scotland, The Met, and LACMA, and of course the Getty’s great collection. It is an exciting opportunity to display these items in Houston and for museum visitors to have the opportunity to experience them in one location.
―The structure of the exhibition is inviting to viewers because it allows them to experience the day of a typical elite Parisian in the 1700s.While the everyday objects offer insight into the daily Parisian lifestyle of this particular era, they are often works of great beauty and craftsmanship, said Edgar Peters Bowron, the MFAH Audrey Jones Beck curator of European Art.
―The exhibition is a sensory-driven experience for
viewers, and combines works including decorative arts, paintings, sculpture, textiles, costumes, drawings, prints and books. These objects are normally kept apart because of their sensitivity to light, but this exhibition brings the works together to convey a complete 18th -century Parisian day.
material culture, the lifestyle of elite 18th-century Parisians. The exhibition follows the conventional activities in the cycle of a Parisian day—dressing, writing, collecting, eating, and evening entertainment—offering a glimpse of these forgotten activities. The exhibition will be on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, following its premier at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Bringing together some 160
objects, roughly half of them loans from 26 museums and
private collections around the world, the exhibition will include
a wide range of paintings, sculpture, applied arts, drawings,
metalwork, furniture, architectural fittings, lighting and
hearth fixtures, scientific and musical instruments, clocks and
watches, textiles and dress, books, and maps.
―The MFAH is pleased to host
this unique exhibition, said Gwendolyn H. Goffe, MFAH interim director. ―A multitude of museums from around the
world have loaned important works of art including the Louvre, The National Gallery, London, National Galleries of Scotland, The Met, and LACMA, and of course the Getty’s great collection. It is an exciting opportunity to display these items in Houston and for museum visitors to have the opportunity to experience them in one location.
―The structure of the exhibition is inviting to viewers because it allows them to experience the day of a typical elite Parisian in the 1700s.While the everyday objects offer insight into the daily Parisian lifestyle of this particular era, they are often works of great beauty and craftsmanship, said Edgar Peters Bowron, the MFAH Audrey Jones Beck curator of European Art.
―The exhibition is a sensory-driven experience for
viewers, and combines works including decorative arts, paintings, sculpture, textiles, costumes, drawings, prints and books. These objects are normally kept apart because of their sensitivity to light, but this exhibition brings the works together to convey a complete 18th -century Parisian day.
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