ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Marie-Charles Dulac's Symbolist Landscapes Debut in Rome

exhibition · 2026-04-27

Aleandri Arte Moderna in Rome presents the first Italian exhibition dedicated to Marie-Charles Dulac (1865-1898), a Parisian landscape lithographer and convert to Catholicism. Curated by Federico De Melis, the show highlights Dulac's mystical interpretation of nature, described by friend Joris-Karl Huysmans as a form of prayer. The centerpiece is 'Le Cantique des Créatures,' a series of nine lithographs inspired by Saint Francis of Assisi's canticle. Also on view are a pre-conversion work and pieces by contemporary Symbolist artists. Dulac, a Franciscan tertiary, saw his art as a devotional act, with Huysmans noting that his work sublimates painting's material aspects. The exhibition runs in 2022.

Key facts

  • First Italian exhibition of Marie-Charles Dulac
  • Curated by Federico De Melis
  • Venue: Aleandri Arte Moderna, Rome
  • Year: 2022
  • Dulac was born in Paris in 1865 and died in 1898
  • He was a Catholic convert and Franciscan tertiary
  • Exhibition features 'Le Cantique des Créatures' (nine lithographs)
  • Includes works by other Symbolist artists

Entities

Artists

  • Marie-Charles Dulac
  • Federico De Melis
  • Joris-Karl Huysmans
  • Saint Francis of Assisi

Institutions

  • Aleandri Arte Moderna

Locations

  • Rome
  • Italy
  • Paris
  • France

Sources