This is the French edition of the Realist Painters exhibition catalogue, which took place to Orangerie museum in Paris.
This book wishes to establish a symbolic link between the past and the future of the Orangerie by evoking one its past and most notorious and fruitful exhibitions, The Realist painters in France in the 17th century, organised in 1934 by Paul Jamot and Charles Sterling.
This exhibition revealed the works of Georges de La Tour and changed thoroughly and durably the appreciation of French art in the 17th century.
In addition to the unabridged facsimile 1934 catalogue with an update, a large selection of works presented in 1934 (nearly 80 paintings from the 17th century: Georges de La Tour, the Le Nain brothers Philippe de Champaigne, etc, from prestigious public and private collections) are reproduced in colour and a historical text will set the 1934 exhibition back in its political and intellectual context.
Then, an important section enlightens the consonances between Realist painters of the 17th and 20th century through around 15 works by Maurice Denis, Picasso, Léger Balthus, etc, as well as a few German painters from the 1930s who were famous in their time.
