Jean-Jacques Lequeu : Bâtisseur De Fantasmes

Exhibition at the Petit Palais, Paris, 11 December - 31 March 2019

The son of a Rouen carpenter, Jean-Jacques Lequeu (1757-1826), trained in the Age of Enlightenment, saw his destiny disrupted by the Revolution. Forced to work as a draughtsman for the administration, he nevertheless believed in his talent and pursued his ambition as an artist without concession. A "paper architect", Lequeu dreamed of sumptuous monuments, fictitious factories and imaginary landscapes; beyond architecture, his gallery was enriched by numerous drawings, a disturbing series of self-portraits, grimacing portraits, erotic paintings and uncompromising anatomical details. Six months before he died in destitution and oblivion, he bequeathed this fascinating graphic work to the Royal Library.

This exhibition catalogue presents Lequeu for the first time in his singularity as well as in his time, finally restoring for a wide audience all his richness and complexity.