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Oudry´s Painted Menagerie: Portraits of Exotic Animals in Eighteenth-Century Europe
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On view Sunday, October 7, 2007 - Sunday, February 24, 2008 at the Audrey Jones Beck Building
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Jean-Baptiste Oudry, Rhinoceros, 1749
Staatliches Museum Schwerin, Schwerin, Germany
After initial training as a portrait painter, Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1686-1755) concentrated on still-lifes; by the 1720s he had also begun to establish himself as a specialist in hunting scenes, game-pieces and portraits of animals. Some of his best work was done as a tapestry designer, and he was the head of the royal tapestry works of Beauvais and the Gobelins from 1734 and 1736, respectively. He continued to produce his brilliantly painted hunts, still-lifes, and studies of animals and birds to the end of his career.
Between 1739 and 1745 Oudry painted for the King a series of "portraits" of some of the principal animals in the royal menagerie at Versailles. These remarkable works, peint d´apres Nature à la Ménagerie du Roy, were intended for display at the Royal Botanical Garden but were eventually acquired in 1750 by Friedrich, Crown Prince (later Duke) of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1717—85). Today, these animal paintings are among the jewels of the collection of the Staatliches Museum Schwerin, Federal Republic of Germany, which contains the largest and most representative collection of Oudry´s pictures.
The brilliance of Oudry´s striking representations of wild animals makes it easy to understand why he was one of the most outstanding proponents of the genre in the 18th century. His command of lighting and posture resulted in vivid and unforgettable images, yet as a proponent of attributing some sort of sensibility to animals, he managed to convey their qualities of wariness, ferocity, and other traits of feral animals. The Schwerin pictures foretell the new natural science of the later 18th century, and in the publication accompanying the exhibition, the emphasis is on placing these works in the context of the scientific concerns of the Enlightenment regarding natural science, animals, and menageries.
The exhibition includes twelve oil on canvas paintings, drawn principally from the Staatliches Museum Schwerin. It was organized by the J. Paul Getty Museum, which has recently restored two of the works, Lion and Rhinoceros. The accompanying catalogue produced by the Getty Museum focuses on the individual paintings by Oudry, as well as the themes of 18th-century zoology and menageries. The exhibition will be on view at the Staatliches Museum Schwerin, Dresden, April 4 through July 6, 2008.
Oudry´s Painted Menagerie has been organized by the J. Paul Getty Museum in association with Staatliches Museum Schwerin and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
The Paintings Conservation Council of the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Friends of Heritage Preservation provided generous support for the treatment of Rhinoceros and Lion.
Major funding for this exhibition is provided by the Fine Art Society of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Additional support is provided by:
The Linda and Ronny Finger Foundation
Windi and David Grimes
Related Events:
Hearst Foundation Evenings for Educators: Dead Birds and Exotic Elephants: Animals in Art
At the Caroline Wiess Law Building
Tuesday, October 9, 2007 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Annual Members Party - Fall Bash
At the Caroline Wiess Law Building
Saturday, October 13, 2007 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM
Friday Afternoon Lecture: A Restoration Tale: Bringing Oudry´s Painted Menagerie Back to Life
At the Caroline Wiess Law Building
Friday, November 16, 2007 1:30 PM
Friday Afternoon Lecture: Oudry´s Painted Menagerie
At the Caroline Wiess Law Building
Friday, November 9, 2007 1:30 PM
Grand Gala Ball The Royal Menagerie
At the Caroline Wiess Law Building
Friday, October 12, 2007 7:30 PM
Opening Day Exhibition Tour
At the Audrey Jones Beck Building
Sunday, October 7, 2007 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Saturday Afternoon Lecture: A Restoration Tale: Bringing Oudry´s Painted Menagerie Back to Life
At the Caroline Wiess Law Building
Saturday, November 17, 2007 4:00 PM
Saturday Afternoon Lecture: Oudry´s Painted Menagerie
At the Caroline Wiess Law Building
Saturday, November 10, 2007 4:00 PM
Spotlight Tour: Jean-Baptiste Oudry
At the Audrey Jones Beck Building
Wednesday, December 26, 2007 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Spotlight Tour: Oudry´s Painted Menagerie: Portraits of Exotic Animals in Eighteenth-Century Europe
At the Audrey Jones Beck Building
Thursday, November 1, 2007 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
Thursday, November 8, 2007 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
Thursday, November 15, 2007 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
Thursday, November 29, 2007 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
Saturday, December 1, 2007 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
, 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Saturday, December 8, 2007 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
, 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Saturday, December 15, 2007 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
, 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Saturday, December 22, 2007 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
, 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
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