Get to know Bouchardon: Sculptor, Draftsman, Perfectionist.
FRENCH 18TH-CENTURY SCULPTOR AND DRAFTSMAN Edme Bouchardon combined an inventive spirit with a quest for perfection to achieve many of the masterpieces that are associated with Louis XV’s reign. In addition to serving as Royal Artist and making sculptures of the king and other works of art that reflect courtly life, he created drawings that recorded the daily lives of ordinary people.
Organized chronologically, this international loan exhibition explores key themes through selected masterpieces that highlight Bouchardon’s strong commitment to life drawing, his investigation of the relationship between drawing and sculpture, and his passion for ancient art.
This exhibition was organized by the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Musée du Louvre. The Los Angeles presentation is supported by City National Bank.
Selected Works
Events
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PUBLICATIONS
Exhibition catalogue:
Bouchardon: Royal Artist of the Enlightenment
By Anne-Lise Desmas, Édouard Kopp, Guilhem Scherf, and Juliette Trey
The Learned Draftsman: Edme Bouchardon
By Édouard Kopp
Purchase this and other publications in the Getty Museum Store
INTERACTIVE
Bouchardon's Street Peddlers: The Cries of Paris
Explore Bouchardon's red-chalk drawings and prints of 18th-century Parisian tradespeople.
VIDEO
Casting a Monument to Louis XV
Bouchardon’s huge statue of Louis XV riding a horse stood in the Place de la Concorde in Paris until the French Revolution, when it was dismantled. The complex casting process, which took 15 years, utilized 30 tons of bronze. Video produced by Musée du Louvre and the J. Paul Getty Museum.
Mobile
Discover the range of Edme Bouchardon's art, from intimate drawings of French street vendors to monumental works commissioned by King Louis XV.
Pick up a multimedia player free of charge in the Museum Entrance Hall or use your own smartphone on our free GettyLink Wi-Fi.