Le Mystère Le Nain

Exhibition at the Musée du Louvre-Lens, 22 March - 26 June 2017

The art of the Le Nain brothers is one of the greatest mysteries of 17th-century French painting. Their most famous compositions show peasants painted with striking truth and great emotional power. These scenes depict the humblest of people with unprecedented nobility and dignity, and the meaning of these paintings has given rise to multiple and contradictory interpretations.

The Le Nain brothers created a new genre by hybridizing peasant scenes and group portraits. This exhibition catalogue aims to shed light on all aspects of the art of the Le Nain brothers, from the small coppers to the famous peasant scenes, not forgetting the religious and mythological paintings.