Exhibition - Variations Dessin XVIIe - XXe

An exhibition showcasing the most representative works from the MAT's graphic art collection. A unique opportunity to discover little-known treasures, while highlighting the evolution of drawing through the centuries.

With 90 works divided into five sections, the MAT offers a complete panorama of drawing in all its forms:
studies, academies, travel notebooks, as well as representations of sculptures and architecture.

Preparatory drawings for government commissions, sketches for large-scale compositions, as well as pencilled plein-air landscapes, reveal the creative freedom and experimentation of each artist.

The MAT's collection of drawings (700 works in all) was built up in the early 19th century thanks to the generosity of artists and collectors, often of Toulon origin, who enriched their city's heritage through gifts and bequests.
The contemporary art collection was created in the early 1980s thanks to the initiative of Marie-Claude Beaud, curator of the Musée de Toulon.
Beaud, curator of the Musée de Toulon, who foresaw the importance and diversity of this medium.
The recent acquisition of 400 watercolors from the botanical garden of the Toulon Navy shows that the enrichment of the Museum's graphic art collections is a priority.
of the Musée d'art de Toulon's graphic art collections.

Section 1: Drawers from the Toulon Arsenal
The earliest drawings, dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, testify to the effervescence of the sculpture workshops at the
Arsenal de Toulon, directed by Pierre Puget (1620-1694). In the 18th century, Jacques-Félix Brun (1763-1831),
Zacharie-Félix Doumet (1761-1818) continued the legacy of classical techniques. These
works depict mythological scenes, settings and architecture in phase with the evolution of taste
between baroque and neo-classicism.

Section 2: Vincent Courdouan (1810-1893)
This section highlights the emergence of plein-air drawing in the 19th century. This approach
practiced in the schools of Marseille and Toulon, influenced the greatest artists of the time. These included Pierre Letuaire (1798-1885) and Émile Loubon (1809-1863). The works of Vincent Courdouan, the jewels in the crown of this exhibition, also embody this approach. In his landscapes painted on location, the Toulon master finely captures the light and nature around him, revealing the deep, intimate bond between him and his natural surroundings.

Section 3: Émile René Ménard (1862-1930)
Emile René Ménard's drawings move away from the naturalist landscape to propose an idealized, symbolic vision of nature.
symbolic vision of nature. Attracted by the light and landscapes of the region, he regularly spent time near
of Bormes-Les-Mimosas. The artist uses pastel to create radiant, poetic atmospheres where nature
is transformed into a quest for an ancient ideal, in a profoundly symbolist approach. In 1958, his widow
donated 40 works, including 15 drawings, to the Musée d'Art de Toulon.

Section 4: The body reinvented: modern views of the nude
Modern artists such as Othon Friesz (1879-1949) and Henri-Olivier Tamari (1898-1980) shared Ménard's quest to redefine the body.
Ménard's quest to redefine the nude, but freed themselves more radically from academic constraints.
Their works take a more assertive turn, where form and bodily expression are reinforced. Jean
Cocteau (1889-1963), for his part, favors a straight, uncluttered line.

Section 5: Contemporary drawing
Finally, the contemporary section illustrates the diversity of current uses of drawing. Artists such as Jean Le Gac,
François Boirond, Pat Steir and Don Hazlitt explore unconventional materials such as cardboard, kraft and ballpoint pens
ballpoint pen, and experiment with new shapes and formats. These works testify to the vitality of drawing
in today's art world, while affirming its timeless character and central role in the creation
creation.

With the "Variations Dessin" exhibition, the Musée d'Art de Toulon pays homage to this subtle and precious art form, highlighting its fundamental role in contemporary art.
its fundamental place in artistic history and creation.