Beauty, Passion, and Bliss: 19th-Century Masterworks from the Dahesh Museum of Art

Organized from the collection of the Dahesh Museum of Art, this exhibition features paintings and sculptures by artistsz trained in the academies and private ateliers of France and other countries. Following the Academy's path would give hopeful artists (from all over Europe and America) the right of entry to a magical world of fame, honors, awards, public and private commissions, and an opportunity to become a member of an elite circle that exerted all-powerful influence over the fine arts in France. Artists include Jean-Léon Gérôme, William Adolphe Bouguereau, Alfred Lord Leighton, Lawrence Alma Tadema, Jean- Jacques Pradier, and Léon Bonnat. The exhibition is accompanied by a full color catalogue titled Academic Splendor: 101 Masterpieces from the Dahesh Museum of Art that examines the Academy and the making of art in 19th-century France.