Discover the defining features of neoclassicism in this exploration of the origins and characteristics of the “new classical” style that dominated Europe, especially France, in the late-18th century.

With an eye towards the drawings featured in Revolution to Restoration: French Drawings from the Horvitz Collection, Margaret Morgan Grasselli, a leading expert in the field of French drawings, documents the movement’s roots: the careful study of Roman antiquities, the development of an austerely dramatic, visually striking pictorial style, and the depiction of subjects from both ancient and modern history.

Margaret Morgan Grasselli  worked for 40 years in the department of graphic arts at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, 30 of them as curator of Old Master drawings. An expert on French drawings, especially those of the 18th century, she organized many major exhibitions, most notably Watteau, 1684–1721 in 1984; Renaissance to Revolution: French Drawings from the National Gallery of Art, 1500–1800 in 2009; and Hubert Robert in 2016. After retiring from the National Gallery in 2020, Meg spent three years as visiting senior scholar for drawings at the Harvard Art Museums, where she also served as visiting lecturer in the department of history of art in the faculty of arts and sciences.

Image: Adrien Victor Auger after Jacques-Louis David, Fainting Young Girl (detail), date unknown. The Horvitz Collection, Wilmington.