The Trompe-l’œil paintings  (1665) by Cornelis Norbert Gysbrechts (1630-c.1675) and Louis Léopold Boilly (1761-1845) and Le Traité de paix définitif entre la France et l’Espagne (1801) by Laurent Dabos (1761-1835) testify to the fondness of Paul Marmottan (1856-1932) for trompe-l’œil art. To pay tribute to this facet of his collections, the Musée Marmottan Monet will be presenting an exhibition titled “Trompe-l’œil from 1520 to the Present” from 17 October 2024 to 2 March 2025.

Trompe-l’œil refers to tricks played by our eyes, creating an illusion of reality. While certain themes are well known—vanitas, hunting trophies, letter racks, grisailles—other less familiar aspects will be dealt with in the exhibition, including decorative uses of trompe-l’oeil, its political influence during the revolutionary period, and modern and contemporary manifestations of the genre. The exhibition will present over seventy artworks dating from the 16th to the 21st century, highlighting different forms of trompe-l’œil in pieces from both private and public collections (Musée des Beaux-arts, Dijon; Museo dell’Opificio delle Pietre Dure, Florence; Palais des Beaux-arts, Lille; Musée d’art et d’Histoire, Geneva; Musée des Beaux-arts, Rennes, etc.).

Chief curator: Érik Desmazières, director, Musée Marmottan Monet
Scientific curator: Sylvie Carlier, curator of collections, Musée Marmottan Monet
Associate curator: Aurélie Gavoille, curatorial assistant, Musée Marmottan Monet