Les traits du génie ; dessins de Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Alexandre-Évariste Fragonard et Marguerite Gérard

Exhibition at the International Perfume Museum, Grasse, 27 June – 26 October 2025

A pupil of Chardin and then Boucher, Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806) enjoyed dazzling success but was quickly forgotten. It was not until the mid-19th century that his work was rediscovered by collectors and art historians.

A genius of painting and drawing, Fragonard was influenced by his travels in Italy, Flanders and Holland. Encountering new landscapes and artists of past centuries, such as Michelangelo and Rubens, was a source of endless inspiration and wonder for him, which he masterfully captured in numerous drawings. In his scenes of everyday life, Fragonard gave free rein to his imagination and speed of execution, and the artist also lent his pencil to the illustration of literary texts, such as Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, Cervantes' Don Quixote and La Fontaine's Fables.

With Fragonard, Grasse was also the birthplace of a family of artists. His wife Marie-Anne Gérard was a painter of miniatures. Their son Alexandre-Évariste had a brilliant career as a painter in the first half of the 19th century, as did his sister-in-law and pupil, Marguerite Gérard.

Featuring some sixty drawings from the collections of the Louvre Museum alongside those of the museums of Grasse, this exhibition catalogue offers a broad overview of the prolific graphic work of Jean-Honoré Fragonard and his family.