Treasures in black and white, an exhibition of the great printmaking masters at the Petit Palais - our photos

Printmaking is an ancient art form that has fascinated creators throughout the ages. The Petit Palais gives pride of place to this technique, while revealing the richness of its collections, with a brand-new exhibition to be discovered from September 12, 2023 to January 14, 2024.

Entitled Treasures in Black and White, the exhibition brings together nearly 200 works by the greatest artists of the genre, from the 15th to the 20th century. Rembrandt, Dürer, Callot, Goya, Toulouse-Lautrec, as well as Chéret, Steinlen, Auguste Renoir and Anders Zorn demonstrate the richness, diversity and complexity of printmaking.

A total of 45 artists are featured in this artistic journey. 45 masters of different styles and subjects, 45 painters and draughtsmen who explored the various techniques of printmaking. The Petit Palais exhibition reveals the evolution of this medium, and its sometimes little-known treasures.

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Drawing on the collections of its graphic arts cabinet, the museum unveils rare and precious works, including Rembrandt 's La Pièce aux cent Florins, proofs of Goya' s Tauromachie , and prints by Antonio Pollaiolo and Marcantonio Raimondi. Some sets show the evolution of great artists: several prints by Dürer or Callot show how these masters refined their techniques over the years.

Portraits, landscapes, still lifes, studies for larger subjects, exercise sheets: the works in this vast exhibition follow one another and are not alike. We pass from the Italian Renaissance to modern art, while exploring the Romantic period, naturism, classicism... Centuries pass, and so do techniques: burin, etching, woodcut and lithography do not produce the same works, or the same sensations.

The exhibition is divided into several sections, focusing on different artists and different collections. All the prints are distinguished by the finesse of their strokes and the precision of their details. So much so, in fact, that some of the portraits look like real photographs!

To extend the exhibition, and help us discover the prints as if we were real artists, the Petit Palais also offers a unique multimedia feature. Visitors are shown a demonstration film. They can then experiment for themselves, using a fun, interactive digital tablet to create their own print. Don't miss this exhibition!