In praise of sensitivity

In the Age of Enlightenment, literature and painting reflected a new vision of man and his environment. Emotions, sensitivity and the senses were valued, offering unprecedented freedom to experience the world. Genre painting (portraits, landscapes, still lifes and genre scenes) enthusiastically echoed these new reflections, adapting to new public tastes. She theatricalized her subjects, adopting a more sensitive and accessible approach. With over 65 paintings, this exhibition presents this major turning point in society.

An exceptional partnership with the Museums of Brittany

Organized in parallel and supported by FRAME*, the exhibitions Éloge de la sensibilité in Nantes and Éloge du sentiment at the Musée des beaux-arts de Rennes Nouvelle fenêtre (February 16 - May 13, 2019) are part of an exceptional partnership between the museums of Nantes, Rennes, Quimper and Brest. They are divided into two sections exploring the very different paths taken by painting in the ^18th century: in Rennes, the focus is on great history painting, between the Grand Siècle and neoclassicism, and in Nantes, genre painting.

Philosophers accompany you

In each room, short sound extracts echo the literature of the Enlightenment with the works in the exhibition. Jean-Jacques Rousseau proudly describes the little Emile, Marivaux laments the superficial coquetry of his young mistress, Denis Diderot raves about the paintings in the Salon...

The sensory walk

Young and old are invited to extend their immersion in the heart of the ^18th century in a playful area where activities awaken the senses: the "Music Room" charms the ear, "À vue de nez" tickles the nose, "L'art et la matière" plays with the tactile faculties and "Mot pour mot" tests the sense of observation and deduction.

In Praise of Engraving

To coincide with the exhibition Éloge de la sensibilité, the graphic arts department is coming out of its storeroom. Discover the finest ^18th-century French engravings gathered in the famous albums by the Cacault brothers. Genre scenes, erotic or moral, theatrical or tender, they present a sensitive panorama of the art of engraving in the Age of Enlightenment, a veritable golden age of engraving in France. Discover the engravings in Room 9 of the Palais!

* FRAME Nouvelle fenêtre (FRench American Museum Exchange) is a platform for exchanges between thirty-one museums in France, the United States and Canada. Since 1999, it has been helping to strengthen cultural cooperation between the institutions in this network, whose collections are perfectly complementary. In this respect, FRAME highlights the exemplary collaboration between the Musée d'arts de Nantes and the Musée des beaux-arts de Rennes in the dialogue between their works through the diptych exhibition Éloge du sentiment et Éloge de la sensibilité. Many of these paintings echo others in the FRAME network, testifying to the universal cultural heritage that makes up the collections of historic Brittany. The FRAME label will ensure that the exhibition reaches a wider audience, both nationally and internationally.

 Adélaïde Labille-Guiard and sensitivity

Discover the favorite work of exhibition curator Adeline Collange-Perugi. A video to help you understand the sensitivity of this portrait of a woman in just two minutes!