The St. Louis Art Musuem; Symbols of Power; Napoleon and the Art of the
Empire Style, 1800-1815
By Fran Folsom
This summer, until September 17th, the St. Louis Art Museum
pays homage to Napoleon with the exhibit Symbols of Power; Napoleon and the Art
of the Empire Style, 1800-1815.
The Symbols of Power exhibit has over 140 works of
furniture, silver, porcelain, china, wallpaper, textiles, jewelry and clothing.
Many of these have never been seen outside of France.
The most important pieces include an 1812 portrait of
Napoleon I in his coronation robes by Jacques Faust Lefevre, a tulle and crepe
empire gown c.1800-1810 belonging to Empress Josephine, a porcelain and gold
breakfast set c.1813, and a breastplate c.1805; Dominique Vivant Denon of the
Parisiens Armuriers modeled it to resemble armor worn by the ancient Roman
emperors, the breastplate is of steel and chiseled brass, depicting Napoleon as
a victorious Mars, the God of War.
The St. Louis Museum of Art is the first stop for the
exhibit before it goes on to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Musee des Arts
Decoratifs in Paris.
When it was built in 1879 the St. Louis Art Museum was the
first American art museum west of the Mississippi. Over the years it has become
a world class museum, home to over 30,000 artifacts; included in this are
Oceanic, Asian, Pre-Columbian, European and American art, and an impressive
collection of 20th century German art.
On view in the American Art collections are paintings by
Hudson River School painters such as Jasper Cropsey and Robert Duncanson, and
Missouri artist George Caleb Bingham’s Election Series, The Jolly Flatboat Men
in Port, Stump Speaking and County Election.
The period rooms of the Decorative Art and Design
collections run the gamut from Renaissance to present day. There’s everything
from European and American furniture and textiles, to Tiffany stained glass, to
eighteenth century ceramics to beautiful Meissen porcelain and stunning
furniture by architects Greene & Greene and Frank Lloyd Wright.
The St. Louis Art Museum is set in Forest Park, site of the
1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. The park, at 1,293 acres, is larger than New York’s
Central Park. Bring a picnic and spend the day here; rent a paddle boat or
rowboat and cruise around the Grand Basin, play a round of golf at the public
golf course, take a guided walking tour or explore the park on bicycle or rent a
Segway.
The park’s shuttle bus will take you around to the St.
Louis Zoo, the Science Center, the Missouri History Museum and the Jewel Box, a
glass hot house filled with a multitude of seasonal flowers. All of these are
located within the park’s 1,293 acres.
If You Go
St. Louis Art Museum
www.slam.org
St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission
www.explorestlouis.com
Images courtesy of St. Louis Art Museum |
