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Alexander the Great Attacking the Oxydrakai, 1809
Nicolas-André Monsiau. The Horvitz Collection, Wilmington
Between the late 18th and early 19th centuries, France’s political situation was extremely volatile. The government churned from Monarchy to Republic to Empire and back again, and these system changes barely scratch the surface of the transformations taking place in the economic and social life of the country and continent. We must then ask why, during this period of Enlightenment thinking and industrialization, were artists looking back to the art, architecture, and literature of the ancient Greco-Roman world? What did the characters and events of ancient history and mythology have to offer in these new and varied contexts?
Join us for a conversation in the galleries of two exhibitions of Neoclassical French art, in both painting and drawing, to learn about this visual movement and in the world in which it emerged.
What to Expect
Attendees will meet in Griffin Court on the first floor of the Modern Wing near the seats. The group will visit galleries in Painting and Sculpture of Europe on the second floor of the Michigan Avenue building, and galleries in Prints and Drawings on the first floor of that building. Participants will have access to folding stools for seating. The program will be about 90 minutes long.
ASL interpretation and/or assisted listening devices are available upon request at museum_interpretation@artic.edu. Assisted listening devices are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Requests must be made at least two weeks in advance.