Enfilade

Michel-François Dandré-Bardon, Figure Study of a Man with an Outstretched Arm, ca. 1725
(Staatsgalerie Stuttgart)

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Now on view at the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart:

Generation 1700: Drawing at the Royal Academy in Paris

Generation 1700: Zeichnen an der Königlichen Akademie in Paris

Graphik-Kabinett, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, 17 April – 30 August 2026

How does one learn to draw the human body? The question is at the heart of the exhibition Generation 1700, which focuses on drawing instruction at the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, France’s prestigious art academy in the 18th century during a time of profound social upheaval: while the bourgeoisie emancipated itself from the absolutist court under the banner of the Enlightenment, drawing itself became a medium of liberation. At that time, young artists not only depicted the human body, but also studied anatomy with rational insight and understood it as an expression of individual ideas. Now in 2026, on the occasion of the anniversary “75 years of the Institut français Stuttgart,” the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart will highlight drawing from live models between discipline, science, and artistic development.

The exhibition, presented in the Graphic Cabinet, focuses on Michel-François Dandré-Bardon (1700–1783), one of the most important artists of the French Enlightenment. With his understanding of anatomy and a keen sense of movement and materiality, he stages the human body in dramatically composed studies—literally from head to toe. His works impressively demonstrate how the strict principles of the Academy provide fertile ground for artistic experimentation. The Staatsgalerie possesses one of the most extensive collections in Europe of Dandré-Bardon’s graphic works. Additional works by contemporaries such as Carle van Loo, Charles Joseph Natoire, and Nicolas Guibal complement the presentation. With around 70 drawings and graphic prints, most of which are being shown for the first time, Generation 1700 offers a glimpse into everyday life at the Academy.