Drawings in the Collections of 19th-Century French Artists Mes Chers Amis from 17 October 2026 to 17 January 2027 Opening hours: every day except Monday, from 12 to 6 pm. In the nineteenth century, out of friendship, admiration or loyalty, artists surrounded themselves with the works of their peers, amongst which drawings – intimate and personal objects – held a special place. This exhibition delves into the heart of these artists’ collections and sheds light on nineteenth-century drawing in France. It offers an opportunity to explore the various social circles and the personalities of the artist-collectors on display, all of whom were born between the last third of the eighteenth century and the first half of the following century.
Gustave Doré (1832-1883), Portrait of the Daughter of the Engraver Pierre Edmond Hédouin, circa 1877 Graphite and watercolour on cardboard, 35.8 × 27.3 cmMusée d’Art et d’Histoire Pissarro – Pontoise, inv. D.899.10.1 Also including paintings and documents, the exhibition features a selection of remarkable sheets, often gifted or exchanged, bearing witness to the artists’ sense of kinship. Illustrious names, such as Théodore Gericault, Honoré Daumier, and James Whistler, stand next to lesser-known ones. The collections met with various fates after the deaths of their owners: some were preserved and bequeathed to museums, for instance that of Pierre-Jean David d’Angers, now in Angers; others were dispersed at public auction, the most admired of which remains the collection of Edgar Degas. Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863), A Bouquet of Flowers, circa 1849-1850 Black crayon, watercolour, gouache, pastel, on two joint sheets of grey-blue paper, 65 × 65.4 cmMusée du Louvre, Paris, inv. RF 31 719© GrandPalaisRmn (musée du Louvre) / Michel Urtado From the French Academy in Rome at the Villa Medici, where the first friendships between winners of the Prix de Rome were forged, to Paris studios, the exhibition explores these networks of artists. Some collected the works of their masters, others those of their friends, giving rise to collections marked by loyalty and admiration. Two key figures form the core of the show: Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres and Eugène Delacroix. Their works, carefully kept by peers, are testament to their enduring influence and the fascination they held for their contemporaries. The exhibition brings together nearly 100 works thanks to several public and private collections, notably the Musée du Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, as well as from The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and numerous French institutions, such as the museums in Angers, Besançon and Rouen. Their generosity allows these works, rarely seen and some even unpublished, to be revealed to a larger public, and enables the reconstruction of ensembles that have never been displayed since their dispersion more than a century ago. With the exceptional participation of the Musée du Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay.
Catalogue Mes Chers Amis. Drawings in the Collections of 19th-Century French ArtistsEdited by Laurence Lhinares, in collaboration with Marie-Liesse Choueiry and Diederik BakhuÿsLondon, Paul Holberton Publishing, 2026352 pages, 250 colour illustrations28 × 22.6 cm, hardback, in EnglishISBN 978 1 917976 30 545,00 € ORDER Ne renseignez pas ce champ To order this book, please fill out the form below. You will receive an invoice by e-mail, including package and postage fees. Payments can be made by bank transfer. Title Quantity (Required) First name (Required) Last name (Required) Company Address (Required) Postal code Please leave this field empty: City (Required) Country (Required) E-mail (Required) Phone number Remarks The information supplied by you through this form is collected by the Fondation Custodia in order to process your order. In accordance with the law Informatique et Libertés of 6 January 1978, modified, and with the Règlement Général sur la Protection des Données, you have the legal right to access your data, to rectify them, to restrict them, to transfer them or to suppress them. In order to exercise these rights, you can contact the Fondation Custodia, 121 rue de Lille, 75007 Paris, +33 (0)1 47 05 75 19, coll.lugt@fondationcustodia.fr. To find out more about our Privacy Policy. CANCEL
Practical Information Address Fondation Custodia, Collection Frits Lugt121, rue de Lille - 75007 ParisFranceTel: +33 (0)1 47 05 75 19coll.lugt@fondationcustodia.frwww.fondationcustodia.fr Access by public transport Metro: Assemblée Nationale (line 12) or Invalides (lines 8 and 13)RER C: Invalides or Musée d’OrsayBus: lines 63, 73, 83, 84, 94, Assemblée NationaleVélib’: station opposite (n° 7009) Opening hours Every day except Monday, from 12 to 6 pm We are closed on 25 December and 1 January Cloakroom Large bags, wet coats and umbrellas must be left in the cloakroom Admission charges 15 € (full) / 10 € (reduced)The reduced rate is available to seniors (over 65), Amis du Louvre, Amis du musée d’Orsay, groups of at least 10 people Free admission: children under 18, students under 30, unemployed people, RSA beneficiaries, press card, ICOM card, disabled person’s card, members of Vereniging Rembrandt GUIDED TOURS Possibility to visit the exhibition Mes Chers Amis with a conference guide on the following dates (in French): Tuesday 3 November 2026 at 11 am, Saturday 14 November at 11 am, Saturday 28 November at 11 am, Wednesday 9 December at 11 am, Tuesday 5 January 2027 at 11 am.Admission: price of the exhibition ticketReservation required: visites@fondationcustodia.fr