Exhibition “Lumières françaises. De la cour de Versailles à Agen” (Agen, église des Jacobins; December 2025-March 2026)

Following Goya, Avant-Garde Genius: The Master and his School (2019 to 2020), the Musée des Beaux-Arts d’Agen invites visitors to discover and relive the splendor of the Age of Enlightenment (1715 to 1789) in the Agen region through a new exhibition bearing the “Exposition d’intérêt national” label.

In the eighteenth century, Agen and its surrounding area experienced a period of economic and cultural prosperity. The Agen exile of the duc d’Aiguillon, Minister of Foreign Affairs to King Louis XV and a friend of Madame de Pompadour and Madame du Barry, played a decisive role. The exhibition will place particular emphasis on his painting collection held by the museum, notably the Portrait de Madame du Barry en Flore, painted by François-Hubert Drouais in 1773 to 1774, an iconic eighteenth-century female portrait reproduced in numerous biographies devoted to the royal favorite.

The political, economic, and intellectual upheavals of the Enlightenment and their repercussions in southwestern France, notably through the arrival of the duc d’Aiguillon on his estates, will be brought to light. The introduction of the Versailles court’s art of living to Aiguillon and the development of artistic patronage will be explored through the figures of the Duke and his friend, Madame du Barry. The eighteenth century was also marked by architectural and urban renewal in the Agenais: recent studies will show how decisive this period was in shaping the built environment’s identity. And how could one overlook the spread of Enlightenment ideas, under the impetus of Montesquieu (1689 to 1755), as well as the founding of the Société académique d’Agen in 1776, whose 250^th anniversary will be celebrated in 2026?

Prestigious loans from major institutions, including the château de Versailles, the musée du Louvre, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France, will complement the Agen museum’s holdings and be presented in the Agen setting of the Église des Jacobins. More than 270 works will be displayed in an immersive scenography, offering visitors a plunge into life at court and the Age of Enlightenment. Ambitious yet accessible, the exhibition will feature a family-friendly itinerary. A rich program of activities will also be offered.

Versailles and Aiguillon

Representatives of the high aristocracy, connected to Richelieu and Mazarin, members of the Vignerot du Plessis-Richelieu family, and the Duchesses and Dukes of Aiguillon were very close to power in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Their ties to Versailles are particularly evident from the reign of Louis XV onward. Emmanuel-Armand, Duc d’Aiguillon, resided there in his capacity as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and, later, for War, between 1771 and 1774. His son, Armand-Désiré, succeeded him at the head of the company of Chevau-légers of the King’s Guard before embracing the ideas of the Revolution.

Through the royal collections, as well as those transferred in the nineteenth century by Louis-Philippe, the Musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon holds numerous works that evoke the various Lords of Aiguillon. Around ten of these works will be presented at the Musée des Beaux-Arts d’Agen for the exhibition. This exceptional loan reflects the château de Versailles’ commitment to extending the reach of its collections and making them accessible to as many people as possible.

“It is therefore entirely natural that the château de Versailles and its Research Centre be associated with the exhibition, through the participation of Lionel Arsac, heritage curator at the château de Versailles, and Delphine Desbourdes, research officer at the Centre de recherche du château de Versailles and a specialist on the Dukes of Aiguillon, in the exhibition’s scientific curatorship.”

Curatorship

The exhibition’s general curator, Adrien Enfedaque, heritage curator at the Musée des Beaux-Arts d’Agen, is collaborating on this project with Lionel Arsac, heritage curator responsible for sculpture at the château de Versailles; Delphine Desbourdes, research officer at the Centre de recherche du château de Versailles; and Stéphane Capot and Isabelle Brunet, respectively Director and Deputy Director of the Archives départementales de Lot-et-Garonne.

Practical information

Musée des Beaux-Arts d’Agen website.