Villa Medici Celebrates 350 Years of French Academy in Rome

The French Academy in Rome, founded in 1666 by King Louis XIV, marks its 350th anniversary in 2016 with an exhibition at Villa Medici curated by Jérôme Delaplanche. The show traces the institution's history through works by former fellows and directors, including Ingres, Berlioz, Garnier, Debussy, and Balthus. It features drawings, paintings, sculptures, scores, and architectural projects created during residencies. The exhibition highlights a thematic thread of the male nude, from Jean-Antoine Houdon's plaster "Scorticato" (1767) to Claude Goutin's fragmented cement-and-tile kouros (1959). Notable works include Hippolyte Flandrin's "Polite figlio di Priamo" (1834), François-André Vincent's "Martirio di San Bartolomeo" (1774), Luc-Olivier Merson's "Il martirio di Sant’Edmondo" (1871), and Édouard Toudouze's "Eros e Afrodite" (1872). A video by Justine Emard, the only non-fellow artist, compiles images from former residents into a dreamlike film. The Academy originally housed male, Catholic, French, unmarried Prix de Rome winners; since 1971, it has expanded to 25 fellows from worldwide disciplines including writers, filmmakers, photographers, set designers, restorers, and art historians.