Léopold et Aurèle Robert – Musée des beaux-arts de La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland

A Neuchâtel artist who experienced European recognition during his lifetime, Léopold Robert (1794-1835) embodies the figure of the romantic painter whom a tragic destiny shrouded in mystery. Trained at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and in David’s studio, he moved to Italy in 1818. His genre painting enjoyed considerable success in the first half of the 19th century, when his critical fortune s turns out to be incomplete. The Museum of Art and History of Neuchâtel and the Museum of Fine Arts of La Chaux-de-Fonds are joining forces to present on two sites a monographic exhibition dedicated to Léopold Robert and his brother Aurèle Robert (1805-1871). The exhibition re-examines Aurèle’s role by considering him not only as a “disseminator” of Leopold’s work, but also as an artist in his own right.

Articulated around the unfinished cycle of Seasons by Léopold Robert, the project presents the works of the two institutions and several prestigious loans. The exhibition in La Chaux-de-Fonds honors “spring” while Neuchâtel honors “summer” and “winter”. Echoing these masterpieces, other themes are addressed, touching as much on the production and distribution of works, as on the notion of ideal beauty and the presence of music and dance in these paintings.

The contemporary Colombian artist Gina Proenza is invited to take over the premises and to dialogue with the work of Léopold and Aurèle Robert for the occasion.

A richly illustrated publication by Éditions Scheidegger & Spiess accompanies the exhibition.

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