Telling the fascinating story behind the pivotal role of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and its influence on so much of late seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth century European visual culture, Gods and Heroes features 208 extraordinary art works from the Ecole's collection. These include remarkable paintings by Jean-Honore Fragonard, Nicolas Poussin, Jacques-Louis David, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, and Antoine Watteau, as well as drawings by Leonardo and Raphael. A combination of great art, by leading French and European artists, plus texts by leading authors serve to make this a major publication, with lasting and broad appeal across a whole range of scholarly, academic, collecting, exhibition visiting and general art lovers markets.
Contents: Foreword and Acknowledgements by both Director of AFA and Director of the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts; Essay by Emmanuel Schwartz on the History and curriculum of the Academy and the Ecole and their wider historical impact; Essay by Emmanuelle Brugerolles on the formation of the drawings collections; Essay by Patricia Mainardi on the lasting influence of classicism in western art and culture; Main catalogue section containing 208 entries.