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‘SYMBOLS OF POWER: NAPOLEON’ WILL OPEN OCT. 21 AT MFA, BOSTON

AVV 8-31 #711025

BOSTON, MASS. — The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, will present the exhibition, “Symbols of Power: Napoleon and the Art of the Empire Style, 1800–1815,” on view October 21–January 27 in the Gund Gallery.

The ornate splendor of the Napoleonic reign, which looked to symbols of ancient Rome and Greece for a new aesthetic, will be profiled in “Symbols of Power.”

The sweeping exhibition features nearly 200 objects, including paintings, sculpture, clothing, jewelry and decorative arts, which incorporate the iconography of the Empire style in virtually every visual medium, from the opulence of a throne from which Napoleon ruled, to the delicacy of the ceramic ice cream urns decorated with Empress Josephine’s favored botanical motifs.

Many of these works have never before been seen outside of France. The exhibition offers an examination of Napoleon’s vision for a new French style, which used classical emblems of power — the Roman eagle, the laurel wreath and Mars, Roman god of war — to reinforce France’s military prowess and renewed political strength.

The exhibition is organized by the American Federation of Arts, New York and Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris. A catalog published by the American Federation of the Arts accompanies this exhibition.

The museum is at 465 Huntington Avenue. For information, www.mfa.org or 617-267-9300.

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