Press Release
Treasures of Napoléon
Louisiana Museum Foundation to Host Fabulous Preview Party April 5, 2008 to Celebrate Historic Exhibition at the Louisiana State Museum – Old U.S. Mint
Read What They are Saying
Read Times-Picayune Front Page Review, 3/20/08
Meet the collector and preview the astounding collection of Napoléon’s personal art and belongings!
New Orleans, LA - On Saturday evening April 5, 2008 the Louisiana Museum Foundation celebrates the opening of another spectacular exhibition at the Louisiana State Museum’s Old US Mint in New Orleans’ French Quarter: Treasures of Napoléon. Madame Martin Bouygues serves as Honorary Chair, and Mrs. O. Miles Pollard and Mr. Henry M. Lambert serve as Event Chairman for the extraordinary soiree.
Treasures of Napoléon, opening to the public, Sunday, April 6, 2008, offers visitors an amazing opportunity to see beyond the myth of Napoléon Bonaparte and gain an understanding of this complex figure as a man. The exhibition includes extraordinary artifacts that trace this seminal historic figure’s life including: the earliest known letter in his hand; the valise that brought him the signed Louisiana Purchase documents from America; the sword that proclaimed him Emperor in the Coronation Ceremony at Notre Dame; his camp bed from the Battle of Wagram; his personal map of the French Empire (1812); the clothes he wore soon before his death; and in his own hand, the first will he wrote during his final, lonely exile on the desolate island of St. Helena. Perhaps the signature artifact in the exhibition is one of his legendary hats which Napoléon wore during the battle at Essling in 1809. Wearing the brim aligned to his shoulders to distinguish himself from the other officers on the battlefield, Napoleon wore these now iconic hats as he strode across the European continent and into the pages of history.
The exhibition also contains paintings, sketches and sculpture by the greatest artists of the time including: Gros, David, Canova, Gerard, Isabey, Houdon, Percier, Fontaine, Delaroche, Chaudet, Vernet, Mauzaisse, and more. Silver, porcelain, textiles, furniture and jewelry on display come from the finest manufacturers of 1st Empire France. Among the many featured decorative art pieces is the dramatic 12-foot high Imperial bed of the Emperor’s brother Jérôme Bonaparte, King of Westphalia.
“The Louisiana Museum Foundation is thrilled to be supporting the Louisiana State Museum as it presents yet another spectacular exhibition” remarked Susan Maclay, the Foundation’s executive director.
Tracking the remarkable resurgence of the Louisiana State Museum, Louisiana Museum Foundation Board President, Mr. Tommy Westervelt added “Last autumn the Old U.S. Mint reopened with the incredible Gold exhibition from the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Last week we celebrated the opening of Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits from the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. Now guests at our Treasures of Napoléon soiree will have the first opportunity to see this incredible collection from France, owned by Monsieur Pierre-Jean Chalençon.”
The exhibition’s tour is the first time the Chalençon Collection will have been seen in North America and the first time a number of the items on display will have ever been seen by the general public. “The pieces in the exhibition have been selected not only for their great beauty and rarity, but also because they allow us to see into the heart of this extraordinary man.” Explained Monsieur Chalençon, who is a noted authority and author on the Napoleonic era.
“Napoléon is one of the most charismatic figures of all time,” notes David Kahn, the Louisiana State Museum’s director, “he leaps out of the pages of the history books as visitors will get to see so many of his personal belongings.”
Born in 1769, by the age of 26, Napoléon was a triumphant general whose lightening-fast campaigns had transformed warfare forever and changed the political face of Europe. At 35 he crowned himself emperor of France and set about ruling 70 million people. He ended feudalism, brought equality to Jews and Arabs, reorganized the outdated governments of the French empire into streamlined, efficient administrations that rewarded talent and hard work instead of status and privilege, and instituted a system of civil law known as the Napoleonic Code. By 52 though, Napoléon was dead, having successfully fought an alliance of European powers almost continuously for nearly 20 years, until the cost in lives and disrupted commerce became too much, and he met final defeat at Waterloo. He was exiled to the remote and desolate Atlantic island of St. Helena where he died in 1821.
Mrs. O. Miles Pollard noted that there were strong historical ties that makes New Orleans the perfect setting for a celebration and exhibition examining Napoléon’s life, “Prior to the Louisiana Purchase, his empire included this place we call home, and our laws in this state are based on the Napoleonic code.” Co-Chair, Mr. Henry M. Lambert, referring an additional piece of history, the storied but unrealized plan to bring the exiled emperor to this city, exclaimed “Napoléon is finally coming to New Orleans!”
Treasures of Napoléon is a traveling exhibition from the Russell Etling Company. The exhibition is presented in New Orleans with the support of the Louisiana Museum Foundation, W.R. Irby Trust, Office of Lt. Governor and the Louisiana Department of Culture Recreation and Tourism, and the LeLong family.
The Preview Party
The Louisiana Museum Foundation’s preview party for Treasures of Napoléon at the Louisiana State Museum takes place on Saturday, April 5, 2008 from 6:30 – 9:00 pm at the Old U.S. Mint, 400 Esplanade Avenue. Valet parking in front of the Museum will be available. Dress is black-tie optional. Cocktails and exquisite hors d’ouevres will be served. Tickets are $250 per person, or $200 for Louisiana Museum Foundation members.
Generous support for the preview party has been provided by The Lupin Foundation, Monsieur and Madame Martin Bouygues, AT&T, Hotel Monteleone, French Market Corporation, and Violet’s in the French Quarter.
For additional information, or to make reservations, please contact the Foundation at (504) 558-0493.
The Exhibition and Museum
The Louisiana State Museum is creating an exciting array of public programs, lectures, and other educational opportunities to complement Treasures of Napoléon. Additional information about the exhibition can be found at the Louisiana State Museum’s website, http://lsm.crt.state.la.us., or on this website.
Treasures of Napoléon is on view to the public April 6 – August 3, 2008 at the Louisiana State Museum – Old U.S. Mint, 400 Esplanade Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70116. Admission is $6 for adults/$5 for students, seniors, and active military. Children under 12 and Museum members admitted free.
The Louisiana State Museum, a complex of national landmarks housing thousands of artifacts and works of art reflecting Louisiana’s legacy of historic events and cultural diversity, is part of the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, which is overseen by Lt Governor Mitch Landrieu. The Museum network includes five properties in the famous French Quarter: the Cabildo, Presbytere, 1850 House, Old U.S. Mint and Madame John’s Legacy. Other sites include Baton Rouge, Patterson, Natchitoches, and Thibodaux.
For more information about the Louisiana State Museum please call (800) 568-6968 or visit http://lsm.crt.state.la.us.
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