Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741-1828) has long been recognized as the greatest European portrait sculptor of the late eighteenth century. Whether sculpting a head of state or a young child, Houdon had an uncanny ability to capture the essence of his subject with a characteristic pose or expression. Yet until now, with the National Gallery of Art's presentation of his works, Houdon's exquisite sculptures have never been the subject of a major exhibition.
This lavish exhibition catalog will immediately take its rightful place as the definitive work on Houdon. With more than one hundred color plates and two hundred black and white halftones, Jean-Antoine Houdon: Sculptor of the Enlightenment illustrates every stage of the sculptor's fascinating career, from his stunning portraits of American patriots such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson to his striking portrayals of legendary Enlightenment figures like Diderot and Voltaire. More than mere representations, these sculptures provide us fascinating, intimate glimpses into the very core of who these individuals were. Houdon's genius animated even his less illustrious subjects, like his portraits of his family and friends, and filled his sculptures of children with delicacy and freshness. Accompanying the images of Houdon's masterworks are four insightful essays that discuss Houdon's views on art (based in part on a newly discovered manuscript written by the artist) as well as his prominence in the diverse cultures of eighteenth-century France, Germany, and Russia.
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