We Singaporeans should feel so lucky. In an unprecedented move, 138 engravings from the esteemed Louvre Museum will be on display at the Singapore Art Museum—made possible by the good people at The Singapore Art Museum (of course) and the Singapore French Festival Voilah!.
The selection of engravings that is currently on display (even as you’re reading this) is produced by the Louvre’s Chalcography, and features historically significant works.
For the uninitiated, chalcography is the technique of engraving on copper, and was endorsed during the reign of France’s most famous king—Louis XIV (1643-1715). Fans of French history will probably be familiar with the Cabinet du Roi (King’s Cabinet)—a Louis XIV collection of etchings that recorded royal residences, landmarks, monuments, historical events—as well as etchings made in the likeness of masterpieces in the royal art collections.
The works of the Cabinet du Roi form a big part of the exhibition, but you’ll also get a privileged glimpse of other renowned works like Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and Eugene Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People that have resonated throughout history. Prints based on the work of other maestros like Raphael, Nicolas Poussin and Jean-August Dominique Ingres are also available. However, you’ll also find contemporary prints by Louise Bourgeois, whose approach will most certainly lend a breath of fresh air to the exhibition.
“It is a rare opportunity indeed for us to present such a historically significant exhibition which goes back to the collection of France’s “Sun King,” Louis XIV,” says Mr. Kwok Kian Chow, Director of the Singapore Art Museum. And unless you’re heading to Paris soon, this might be your only opportunity in a while to catch these works.
