Paris: Life & Luxury, a vision of elite 18th-century Parisian lifestyle

Opening on April 26th at the J. Paul Getty Museum, the exhibition Paris: Life & Luxury re-imagines, through art and material culture, the complex and nuanced lifestyle of elite 18th-century Parisians who made their city the fashionable and cultural epicenter of Europe.

Evoking the elegant, prosperous world of Rococo Paris, this major exhibition brings to life daily activities that took place inside a Parisian townhouse. Through constellations of art and related artifacts, the exhibition follows the conventional activities in the cycle of a Parisian day, such as dressing, writing, collecting, eating, and evening entertainment. Featuring approximately 160 objects, half of which will be on loan from various museums and private collections around the world, the exhibition will include a wide range of paintings, sculpture, furniture, musical instruments, clocks and books.

Here are some of the most exquisite pieces from the exhibition Paris: Life & Luxury

Francois Boucher, The Milliner, 1746

@Erik Cornelius - Hans Thorwid

Francois-Hubert Drouais, Portrait of the Marquise d'Aguirandes, 1759

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio

Jean-Francois de Troy, Before the Ball, 1735

The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Jean-Baptiste Oudry, Still Life with a Rifle, Hare, and Bird ("Fire"), 1720

@Erik Cornelius - Hans Thorwid

Francois Boucher, Lady Fastening Her Garter, also known as La Toilette, 1742

@Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

Nicolas Lancret, Four Times of the Day: Afternoon, 1739-1741

@The National Gallery, London

Hangings for a Bad (lit a la duchesse), about 1690-1715

The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Jean-Francois Oeben, Mechanical Reading Writing, and Toilette Table, about 1750

The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Jean Romilly, Clock on Bracket ( cartel sur une console), about 1758

The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Courtesy the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Paris: Life and Luxury, April 26 - August 7, 2011


This post is also featured on the Huffington Post