Théodore Chassériau : Parfum exotique

This exhibition marks the first full display of the arts of Théodore Chassériau (1819-1856) in Japan.

Chassériau entered the studio of Ingres in his early teens, where his early talents made him an unusually young student. Gradually distancing himself from his master Ingres’ classicism, in the face of the rising Romantic trend, he created a painterly realm characterized by a distinctive melancholic passion and lyricism. Traveling to Algeria to paint, his colorful renderings of the people and land of that country made him one of the Orientalists of the day. And yet, his own internal exoticism -- fostered by his birth in an ex-Spanish colony in the Caribbean, his sad fatherless childhood and artistic difficulties he experienced with his teacher -- can also be seen to have characterized his search for artistic expression. Whether a scene from mythology, the Bible, or Shakespeare, or indeed in his portraits of actual people, the exoticism that forms the cornerstone of Chassériau’s arts will somehow resonate with viewers.

Today considered one of the major French Romantic painters, his early death at the age of 37 and the damage to his major mural works has meant that he has only recently been properly evaluated. Retrospectives on his work have only been held in France in 1933 and 2002. This exhibition, focusing on works from the Louvre, will display approximately 40 paintings, 30 drawings and watercolors, 10 prints, as well as photographic and historical materials. The inclusion of approximately 20 works by his teacher, compatriots, and those he later influenced such as Gustave Moreau, Puvis de Chavannes, will provide a reconsideration of the meaning of his works in the development from Romanticism to Symbolism, and the Orientalist lineage overall. This exhibition and its gathering of works will provide a rare opportunity for visitors to encounter his entire artistic realm, an event not even found in his homeland of France.