A fine selection of works awaits visitors at the gallery on Rue de la Paix, which has chosen to dedicate its new hanging to the representation of the human figure, between Neoclassicism and Romanticism. Welcomed by a delightful bacchante with a gentle gaze imagined by Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725–1805), the visitor will then discover the more solemn painting of the Flemish artist François-Joseph Kinson (1770–1839). From a private Bruges collection, the selection of works by the artist will highlight, among delicate female effigies, a ceremonial portrait of Count Siméon, a jurist who played an active role in drafting the Code Civil and went on to enjoy a distinguished political career.
More intimate is the portrait by Jean-Baptiste Garneray (1787–1858) of the young playwright Hippolyte Bis, striking in its simplicity: with pen in hand, the future librettist of Rossini’s opera Guillaume Tell appears caught in the midst of his work. The same sense of spontaneity can be found further on in the remarkable presumed portrait of Joséphine de Pincepré, painted by her brother, Claude Marie Dubufe (1790–1864): leaning on a sumptuous red cushion, the elegant young woman stands out against a rich green curtain opening onto a landscape.
“The Art of Portraiture: from Neoclassicism to Romanticism”, June 8 – July 28, 2021, Galerie Alexis Bordes, 4 rue de la Paix, 75002 Paris. www.alexis-bordes.com