Inspired by the European enlightenment, French artists in the 19th century followed the trend of the times to resist the luxurious Rococo style favored by the royal family and embraced the classical art, in the hope of rectifying the flamboyant fashion from the spiritual level. The Academy and the salons at the time created opportunities for the development and innovation of various schools of fine arts in the 19th century, such as Neoclassicism, Romanticism and Realism, which in turn enabled arts to play a part in social reform and modernization. As a result, France witnessed an all-round prosperity of arts and rose to be the world art center in the 19th century.
The exhibition focuses on the French art during the period from the French Revolution to the First World War, as well as the French society with Paris at its center. The 103 exhibits come from the world-renowned Les Beaux–Arts de Paris and Centre National des Arts Plastiques, including masterpieces of oil paintings by representative artists of academicism like Dominique Ingres, William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret. Among other exhibits are sculptures by Fran?ois Rude who’s known for the bas-relief of “Marseillaise” on the Arch of Triumph in Paris. The three oil paintings by Ingres, including Jupiter and Thetis, are particularly noteworthy. Through the exhibition the visitors can have a glimpse of the creativity and vitality of art in the process of social reforms in France.