This exhibition showcases the works of the renowned 18th and 19th-century painter Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, focusing on her portraits of Polish personalities. Organized by the Museum in Nieborów and Arkadia in cooperation with the Museum of Warsaw, it highlights the artist's strong connections with Polish Enlightenment figures and the context of Polish art collecting.
The exhibition "Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun i Polacy" presents works by the acclaimed French painter Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, with a particular focus on her portraits created for Polish patrons. The exhibition was organized by the Museum in Nieborów and Arkadia, an branch of the National Museum in Warsaw, in collaboration with the Museum of Warsaw. Inspired by a global touring exhibition on Vigée Le Brun, this event celebrates the artist's significant connections with prominent figures of the Polish Enlightenment, showcasing some of the finest portraits of the era. Vigée Le Brun, a celebrated European artist active at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, maintained extensive and friendly correspondence with Polish acquaintances, visiting them in various European capitals and dedicating parts of her memoirs to Polish patrons.
The exhibition, set within the historic interiors of the Palace in Nieborów, serves as a window into the life of the artist, who was both a witness and a creator of her epoch. It also contributes to the discourse on the dynamic history of Polish art collecting from the late 18th century to the present day. Many influential Polish magnates, patrons of the arts and significant collectors, commissioned portraits from Vigée Le Brun, including Helena Massalska Potocka, to whom she dedicated part of her memoirs, and Michał Hieronim Radziwiłł, whose daughter Aniela's portrait she painted. The artist also created portraits of King Stanisław August. The accompanying catalogue will feature detailed information on all paintings and drawings by Vigée Le Brun from both historical and current Polish collections.