12 Ancient Art Exhibitions That Will Blow Your Mind in 2023

The loan of prestigious works from the Musée des Augustins in Toulouse, as well as other regional and foreign loans, made it possible to dedicate this exhibition to the 14th century. Toulouse, which became part of the French kingdom in 1271, established itself as a leading economic and intellectual center (with its university) where religious patronage dominated artistically. Benefiting from effective exchanges with the Avignon papacy and neighboring regions, this patronage reached its first peak with the privileged owner of the genius sculptor, Bishop Jean Tissandier, who was active in the years 1330-1350 and was known as the Master. Rieux. If the presentation of the main works of this master and his circle allows us to measure their importance and influence, all aspects of Toulouse’s artistic production are recalled here, and we can admire other extraordinary pieces, such as the Crucifixion (c. 1310). Recently, the Diocesan Museum of Pamplona related to the environment of Toulouse.

Draguignan “The incredible history of toys from history to the present”, Var departmental exhibition hall, until February 12. Image: Pedal car, 1935-1940 © Moirans-en-Montagne, toy museum

It’s a great idea to book an exhibition on toys! Thanks to the commitment of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris and loans from many institutions, this challenge takes us from the Neolithic era – with a miniature push – to today, the age of the digital revolution. The exhibition, of course, gives pride of place to the toys of the past and all that they tell us about the status of the child and the involvement of the adult world in the education and entertainment of youth according to time and place.

Besanson “A beautiful century. Artistic Life in Besançon from the Conquest to the Revolution (1674-1792)”, Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology, until 19 March. Image: Luc Breton, Saint Jerome © Besançon, MBAA

After a disastrous 17th century that ended with the conquest of Louis XIV in 1674, Franche-Comté revived with dynamism in the 18th century. However, it was the actors of the second half of the century who made the Besancon family, enlivened by its connections with Paris, Dijon and neighboring countries, the leading center where this exhibition revealed all its richness and originality.

Orléans “Jean Bardin (1732-1809), Sacred Fire,” Musée des Beaux-Arts, through April 30. Photo: Mars and Venus, 1782 Oil on canvas, 242 x 178 cm © Musée des Beaux-Arts d’Orléans

Jean Bardin, a painter born in Montbard, Prix de Rome in 1765 and academician, was called to lead the new painting school opened in Orléans in 1786. The exhibition, which finally brought him back into the limelight in his adopted city where he opened his museum in 1799 and ended his career, shows the extent of his talents as a painter and draftsman, with works that cannot be confused with his successful religious orders. his inspiration, which was always very free, led him away from dogmatic neoclassicism.

Amsterdam “Vermeer”, Rijksmuseum, 10 February – 4 June. Photo: The Milkmaid, Johannes Vermeer, 1658-59, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, courtesy of Vereniging Rembrandt

In 1996, a major Vermeer retrospective at the Mauristhuis in The Hague promised to be the last of its kind. Apparently, this is not the case, because despite the rarity and fragility of the Dutch artist’s works, the Rijksmuseum repeats the event. Today, only thirty-five paintings are attributed to the Delft master, and a large part will be temporarily assembled in Amsterdam. The already well-known knowledge of this work should not be upset by this, but it is a pleasure to admire together the “Girl with a Pearl Earring” and “The Milkman”, “Alley”, “View of Delft” and many other icons.

Paris “Giovanni Belleni and his models”, Jacquemart-André museum, March 3 – July 17. Photo: Giovanni Bellini, Virgin and Child Enthroned, tempera on wood, Jacquemart-André Museum, photo: © Institut de France / Studio Sébert Photographes

In many ways, Giovanni Bellini’s work stands at the crossroads between the 15th and 16th centuries, between East and West, between North and South. Uniquely, it has influences from Byzantium as well as Germany, the art of its time and antiquity. In nearly fifty paintings, drawings and sculptures, the Jacmart-André museum highlights Bellini’s dialogue with his sources and models, presented alongside his works.

Paris “Léon Monet, brother and collector”, Luxembourg Museum, March 15 – July 16. Image: Berthe Morisot, Plage des Petites-Dalles, 1873, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, United States of America © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Photo Kaherine Wetzel

In the Monet family, I ask for a brother. His name was Léon, he was a colorful chemist, industrialist and, above all, a collector. A respected figure in Rouen’s life, he supported his brother Claude and his Impressionist friends, formed relationships with Sisley, Pissarro and Renoir, and was also interested in the artists of the School of Rouen. We find all these artists in the important collection he built up over time. The Luxembourg museum is holding an exhibition dedicated to this little-known figure, his tastes and works, but also his environment, the then flourishing Rouen textile industry.

Paris “Ramses II and the gold of the pharaohs”, Grande Halle de La Villette, April 7 – September 4. Photo: Mask of Oundjébaoundjed, 1069-525 BC. JC © World Heritage Exhibitions, Paris

“Ramses II and the Gold of the Pharaohs” is not a new Tintin adventure, but the next exhibition at La Villette. In 2019, after the success of “Tutankhamun”, Egypt and its treasures return to Paris. Sarcophagi, mummies, jewelry, royal masks, amulets, statues… more than 170 items in Egyptian museums remind of the art of the Ramesside period (13th century BC). True to the promise of its name, the exhibition tells about the outstanding personality of Ramses II, the third ruler of the 19th dynasty, whose rule lasted for 66 years. A reign of famous monumental constructions, but also, as we shall see, sumptuous works of art.

Paris “Money in Art”, Monnaie de Paris, March 30 – September 24. Photo: Andy Warhol, Dollar Sign, 1981, Muriel Assens / Mamac Nice © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. ADAGP, Paris 2023

The Monnaie de Paris seemed well suited to evoke the presence of money in art. Covering a broad chronological perspective, the exhibition begins with the Renaissance, when paintings featuring money changers flourished. Without disappearing, the moral perspective inherent in such images gives way to other, more reflective perspectives, where art, like money, discovers itself as a storehouse of value.

Paris “Wars of religion in France 1559-1610. Hate the Clans”, Army Museum, 5 April to 30 July. Photo: Jean-Baptiste-Edouard Detaille, 16th century tournament scene, 19th century © Paris – Musée de l’Armée, dist. RMN-Grand Palais

After the death of Henry II in 1559, the Wars of Religion engulfed the kingdom, sowing death, destruction and disunity. For forty years, Catholics and Protestants faced each other through shifting alliances in a conflict that concealed more prosaic political issues behind religious questions. An exhibition at the Musée de l’Armée takes a look at this painful history, focusing on its actors as well as its representations. Indeed, the intensive production of pictures, pamphlets, posters makes it a real media conflict.

Paris “Naples in Paris”, Louvre Museum, June 7 – January 8. Photo: Manno Sbari and Giovanni Bernardi, Perin del Vaga, Carne Cassetti (Il Cofanetto Farnese). 1548-1561, Real Bosco di Capodimonte Museum / Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture, Real Bosco di Capodimonte Museum

Based on the collections of the Farnese and Bourbons, the Capodimonte Museum in Naples has one of the best collections of Italian paintings in Europe, from Titian to Caravaggio. Exceptionally, some sixty masterpieces leave the Parthenopia to meet those in the Louvre. The exhibition “Naples in Paris” invites us to a real dialogue, as the paintings (and drawings) will be hung next to the works of the Grande Galerie, the Salle de la Chapelle and the Clock in three different places. Paris museum.

Paris “Jacobus Vrel”, Fondation Custodia, June 17 – September 27. Photo: street scene with a bakery near the castle © Hamburg, Hamburger Kunsthalle

Only about forty paintings of Jacobus Vreel, painted between 1650 and 1670, are known in Holland. In the meticulously documented area of ​​the Dutch Golden Age, Vrel remains a mystery. Unable to lift it, the Fondation Custodia shows about half of the case, street or interior scenes, where the artist distills a contemplative or dreamy atmosphere. A look reminiscent of Pieter de Hooch or Vermeer.