The creative processes of Ingres and Delacroix

After six months of renovation work, the Musée National Eugène-Delacroix in Paris is open again: The museum's first exhibition of the year looks at the creative process of two famous 19th century painters: Ingres and Delacroix. Artists' Objects searches for answers to the questions of how Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867) and Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863) worked, how their domestic environment inspired them and how much of their personal life is contained in their paintings. The exhibits include famous objects such as Ingres' violin, which he played in his spare time, travel souvenirs and small curiosities such as a fish-shaped tobacco jar. The exhibition Ingres and Delacroix. Artist's Objects runs from March 27 to June 10 in Paris and in a slightly modified version from July 11 to November 10 at the Musée Ingres Bourdelle in Montauban.

Ingres and Delacroix were not chosen for this exhibition by chance. They are representative of the »battle« between Neoclassical and Romantic painting in the first half of the 19th century. The examination of their social environments, their creative processes and preferences revealed many differences between the painters that go far beyond their artistic convictions. But there are also unexpected parallels, as this unusually conceived art exhibition about two giants of their field proves.