The Jacquemart-André Museum in Paris is presenting a major exhibition dedicated to Georges de La Tour (1593-1652), the master of meditative chiaroscuro and dramatized everyday scenes, from September 11, 2025, through January 26, 2026. This French painter, who fell into obscurity immediately after his death, had to wait 250 years before receiving proper recognition, yet his life remains deeply mysterious.
Connaissance des Arts spoke with the exhibition curators who shared their approach to bringing this remarkable show together and explained what makes La Tour's work so exceptional. The exhibition features around twenty original works by the artist, representing more than half of his known corpus, along with comparative works by other artists including Ter Brugghen, Adam de Coster, the Master of the Candle, and the Pensioner of Saraceni.
Curator Gail Feigenbaum explained their thematic approach: "We can never again create a La Tour retrospective like the one at the Grand Palais in Paris in 1997, which showed all the painter's original works and copies in chronological order. That was perfect for us art historians, but somewhat boring for the public, who don't really care whether a painting was created in 1625 or 1631. No 17th-century artist worked with the idea that their complete works would be exhibited."
Instead, the current exhibition presents La Tour's work thematically, with highlights including scenes illuminated by candlelight, which occupy two entire rooms. "You can immerse yourself and observe how the artist loves to mask the flame with a hand or sheet of paper that becomes incandescent," Feigenbaum noted. Pierre Curie, the co-curator, emphasized that despite working within only 200 square meters, they managed to secure an unprecedented number of original works.
The exhibition includes several recently discovered works or pieces rarely seen by the public. Among these is the "Saint John the Baptist in the Desert" from Vic-sur-Seille and a new "Saint James" sold at auction by Tajan in Paris in 2023, which is believed to be a workshop piece, possibly by Étienne de La Tour. The show also features "The Young Bellows Blower" from Japan, known for a long time but rarely exhibited, displayed alongside its probable pendant, "The Little Girl with the Brazier" from Abu Dhabi.
When asked about their favorite works, Feigenbaum highlighted "The Penitent Magdalene" from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, calling it "unique for its interiority, intense spirituality, and rich luminous effect." She also praised "The Newborn," which remained famous even when La Tour had fallen into oblivion. The curators expressed some regrets about works they couldn't secure, including either of the two "Cheat" paintings (one at the Louvre, another at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth) and "The Fortune Teller" from the Metropolitan Museum.
Regarding La Tour's religious convictions, the curators revealed intriguing contrasts in his personality. Pierre Curie noted: "He was obviously Catholic, but we know very little about his faith. He had a bad temper, would hit poor people, and behaved like an arrogant little lord. It's all the more curious that he's one of the most profound and spiritual painters of his century." His works contain no violence or vulgarity, being filled instead with interior magic and very personal fire.
Feigenbaum pointed out the unique spiritual quality of La Tour's religious works: "In all of La Tour's religious works, you'll find only one halo. He paints bodies transfigured by the spiritual. It's internalized. For example, looking at 'The Newborn,' you wonder whether it's just two women and a baby, or the Virgin Mary, Saint Anne, and the infant Jesus. Only the light suggests the holiness of the figures."
The exhibition curators emphasized La Tour's singular greatness among the Caravaggesque painters. While the idea of nocturnal scenes painted in strong chiaroscuro came from the Italian master Caravaggio, La Tour distinguished himself as a true "poet of flame." Feigenbaum explained: "He doesn't just paint the reflection of flame on a face; he expresses all its possibilities, exploring both its natural and expressive dimensions. The silence of his nocturnes is extraordinary!"
Pierre Curie noted how La Tour's style appeals to modern sensibilities: "Our 'modern' temperament loves La Tour's stylization. He's a painter of simple, geometric forms, but also of grating detail. The Saint John the Baptist is disconcerting in its extreme simplification of forms. It's already like a Chirico!" He also praised La Tour as a great poet who stages silent dialogues, particularly in "The Newborn" from Rennes, which he called "the most religious painting of the entire 17th century, and there isn't even a halo."
The exhibition showcases La Tour's mastery of limited palettes, with some works created using only four pigments. The curators noted that many of La Tour's paintings have suffered more than others over time, making them too fragile to travel, which makes this gathering of works particularly precious. The show demonstrates how La Tour situates the divine in the worldly, remaining in the limbo of ambiguity better than any other artist of his time.
