Hubert Robert

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Published on the occasion of the exhibition Hubert Robert (1733-1808) A Visionary Painter, musée du Louvre, Paris from March 9, 2016 to May 30, 2016. Hubert Robert has come down in history as a painter of ruins and landscapes, but he was above all one of the 18th century's greatest creators of poetic images. Witty and urbane with an endlessly enquiring mind, Hubert Robert was a true man of the Enlightenment. He followed a remarkable artistic path that led him from Rome in the mid-18th century to the court of France, where he produced some of the most spectacular decors in the brilliant decade that preceded the French Revolution. A chronicler of Paris and of the stormy history that rocked the late 18th century, he ended his distinguished career as a thoughtful and committed curator of the brand new Muséum Central des Arts, the future Musée du Louvre. The work of this visionary artist was both eclectic and deeply coherent. It encompassed a broad range of genres: poetic landscapes, imaginary urban views inspired by architectural capricci, archaeological studies, remarkable and innovative designs for gardens and palatial decorations. This aspect is at the heart of the first monographic exhibition devoted to the artist since 1933, co-organized by the Musée du Louvre and the National Gallery of Art in Washington. The exhibition presents an exceptional and varied selection of some 140 works including drawings, paintings, sketches, engravings, monumental paintings, large decorative works, and furniture. It was made possible by generous loans from preeminent heritage collections holding works by the artist both in France and abroad.