Ingres and Artistic Life Under Napoleon at Palazzo Reale Milan

The exhibition 'Ingres e la vita artistica al tempo di Napoleone' at Palazzo Reale in Milan, open until June 23, explores the innovative force of art from 1780-1820, challenging the notion of a cold return to antiquity. Curated by Stéphane Guégan and Florence Viguier-Dutheil, the show features works from the Musée de Montauban, Ingres's hometown. It highlights the paradoxical modernity of neoclassicism, a concept coined by Marc Fumaroli. The exhibition opens with Jacques-Louis David's 'Patroclus' and includes Ingres's 'Napoleon I on the Imperial Throne' from the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris. Drawings reveal Ingres's color sensibility. Works dedicated to Milan reflect the young painter's arrival in the Napoleonic era. Portraits, nudes, and historical pieces are on view. The show also features works by female painter Élisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun, underscoring the period's openness to women artists. The exhibition demonstrates Napoleon's role as an innovator across painting, sculpture, fashion, and furniture.