The Fondation Etrillard is partnering with the Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, to support its exhibition Jean-Baptiste Greuze. Childhood illuminated, from 16 September 2025 to 25 January 2026.
The Petit Palais pays tribute to Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725-1805) on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of his birth. A painter of the human spirit, famous for his portraits and genre scenes, Greuze was one of the most important and daring figures of the 18th century. Although he is less well known today, in his own time, he was acclaimed by the public, courted by collectors, and adored by critics, Diderot in particular. He was, however, also utterly singular. A rebellious spirit, he never ceased to reaffirm his creative freedom and the possibility of rethinking painting outside of conventions.
Greuze, ‘Young Shepherd Questioning Fate to see if his Shepherdess Loves Him’, between 1760 and 1761, Petit Palais, musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris // Portrait of the artist's daughter, Anne-Geneviève ‘Caroline’ Greuze, 1766 © Private collection
Rarely did a painter depicted children as frequently as Greuze, whether in the form of portraits, expressive head studies, or genre scenes, whether candid or naughty, mischievous or sulking, in love or cruel, focused or pensive, adrift in the world of adults, loved, ignored, punished, embraced, or abandoned. Like a recurring motif, children are everywhere, at times asleep in a mother’s arms, at times lost in a melancholic reverie, or occasionally seized by the fear of an event beyond their control. In this exhibition, this particular stage of life is examined over the course of seven different sections, from early childhood to the beginnings of adulthood.
The centrality of the theme of childhood in Greuze’s painting can be said to reflect the key issues of the 18th century. Childhood was now considered an age in its own right. The debates over breastfeeding versus the use of wet nurses, a child’s place within the family, the importance of education in forging a child’s personality, were main concerns of educators and philosophers of his time.
Greuze, ‘Little boy in a red waistcoat’, circa 1775, Musée Cognacq-Jay, Paris // ‘Child playing with a dog (portrait by Louise-Gabrielle Greuze)’, 1767 © Private collection
This exhibition allows visitors to rediscover his work through approximately one hundred works of art, on loan from some of the most important French and international collections, including the Musée du Louvre (Paris), Musée Fabre (Montpellier), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam), National Galleries of Scotland (Edinburgh), the Royal Collection (Britain), as well as numerous private collections.
The exhibition was curated by Annick Lemoine, Chief Heritage Curator and Director of the Petit Palais, Yuriko Jackall, Department Head of European Art and the «Elizabeth and
Allan Shelden» Curator of European Painting, Detroit Institute of Arts, and Mickaël Szanto, Associate Professor, Sorbonne Université.
Greuze, ‘The Broken Eggs’, 1756, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York © GrandPalaisRmn / Photo Malcom Varon
As part of its arts patronage programme, the Fondation Etrillard supports the rediscovery of works, artists and artistic movements that are little known to the general public. The exhibition Jean-Baptiste Greuze. Childhood illuminated showcases a major 18th-century painter and his bold approach to depicting the intimate family sphere.
With the same aim of rediscovery, the Foundation has supported the exhibitions: The Seduction of Colour. Andrea Solario and the Renaissance between Italy and France at Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milan (2025), Figures of the fool, From the Middle Ages to the Romantics at the Louvre (2024-25), Harriet Backer. The music of color (2024-25) as well as Louis Janmot. The Poem of the Soul (2023-24), both at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
Find out more about the exhibition: www.petitpalais.paris.fr/en
Greuze, ‘The Angry Woman’, circa 1785, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York © GrandPalaisRmn / Image of the MMA
Built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition, the Petit Palais is nestled in the heart of Paris’s Golden Triangle. It offers a rich panorama of artistic creation, spanning from antiquity to the early 20th century. The museum is particularly renowned for its collection of Greek vases, Renaissance objets d’art, Dutch paintings, and 19th-century French masterpieces by artists such as Géricault, Courbet, and Cézanne.
An architectural gem of the Belle Époque, the Petit Palais hosts major international exhibitions each year. Recent highlights include Modern Paris, 1905-1925, which attracted 278,702 visitors; Sarah Bernhardt. And the woman created the star in 2023; Boldini. Pleasures and Days in 2022, which welcomed 116,200 visitors; and Ilya Répine (1844-1930). Painting the soul of Russia.
Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris © Benoit Fougeirol