LIBERTÉ! Ary Scheffer and French Romantiscism

Quirine van der Meer Mohr (Dordrechts Museum), Mayken Jonkman (Rijksmuseum), Maarten Doorman (Universiteit Maastricht), Gaëlle Rio (Musee La Vie romantique, Parijs), Bruno Chenique (kunsthistoricus, Parijs), Stéphanie Deschamps-Tan (Louvre, Parijs), Nina Reid (kunsthistoricus, Amsterdam)

LIBERTÉ! Ary Scheffer & French Romanticism takes you to the turbulent Paris of the first half of the nineteenth century, a time of political upheaval and cultural flourishing. Artists used their paintbrushes as weapons or stood on the barricades. The same was true of the Dutchman Ary Scheffer, who quickly became one of the most famous painters in France. Together with French painters such as Eugène Delacroix and Théodore Géricault, he fought for liberty and equality, the ideals of the French Revolution of 1789. They focused on the individual and on emotions. The Romantics in turn unleashed a revolution in art.

This is the first book to discuss in depth the position of Ary Scheffer within French Romantic painting. In addition to a number of art historical essays by experts from the Netherlands and France, philosopher Maarten Doorman reflects on the relevance of Romanticism today. The book also contains a beautiful overview of works by Ary Scheffer and his French contemporaries.

Exhibition: October 19, 2024 through March 23, 2025, Dordrecht Museum