Exhibition : Georges de la Tour

At the Musée Jacquemart André

Until January 25th, 2026.

Georges de La Tour (1593-1652) is, through his painting, one of the masters of the chiaroscuro technique. Rediscovered in the first half of the 20th century, his work, which was long attributed to other artists, reveals an undeniable expertise. In line with its famous retrospectives of the greatest painters, the Jacquemart-André Museum is dedicating an event exhibition to Georges de La Tour, Between Shadow and Light. He is a fascinating artist. The painting of Georges de La Tour invites meditation, silence, and reflects an internalised mysticism. He is said to be a "painter of the flame" as the effects he seeks in his candlelit scenes evoke a collected emotion in the viewer. The strength of the light emanating from each composition, whether from a simple or profane subject, bestows upon it a religious and spiritual aura. Faced with such simplicity magnified by such beautiful light, one naturally thinks of Caravaggio, of course, his predecessor and perhaps even his influencer in this way of sanctifying the ordinary. The visitor will discover a large series of famous works during this exhibition. The first part explores the origins of the painter's style, in dialogue with other works by his contemporaries. A second room invites visitors to discover the naturalistic treatment of marginal characters in genre scenes. In a third phase, the visitor is invited to contemplate two paintings on the theme of Saint Jerome in Penitence, in order to observe the similarities or diff erences in the production style of his workshop at the time. A set of busts, painted

with realism, of saints and apostles constitutes another stage of the visit. It seems to detach from the Baroque postures of that same era into a form of silent contemplation. This series then leads to another series in postures where the artificial light of a flame or a candle radiating from the painting highlights the mysticism. The journey concludes with the artist's later paintings, emblematic of a desire to ultimately give light the essential place in the message contained in his works.

Aff iche de l'exposition © DR

158 Boulevard Haussmann

75008 Paris