Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741 – 1828): Sculptor of the Enlightenment

The unparalleled work of Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741 – 1828) is rediscovered in the first major international exhibition devoted to one of the most prominent and versatile sculptors in 18th-century France. The sculptor created the iconic images of such early American statesmen as Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington, and established the authoritative portraits of leading personalities of the French Enlightenment, including François-Marie Arouet (called Voltaire), Denis Diderot, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. His work captured their essential spirit as well as their physical appearance. In his depictions of close friends and family, and particularly in his busts of children, Houdon achieved a sense of spontaneous, unguarded naturalism that was one of the most original expressions of 18th-century sensibility. The exhibition features Houdon's early works, garden statues, and more than 40 portraits in terracotta, plaster, bronze, and marble.

November 4, 2003 – January 25, 2004
J.Paul getty Museum
1200 Getty Center Drive (Los Angeles)
Tel (310) 440-7300

The exhibition is organized by the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; the National Gallery of Art, Washington; and the Réunion des musées nationaux, Paris, and l'Etablissement public du musée et du domaine national de Versailles. This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.