Qatar Museums presents Seeing Is Believing: The Art and Influence of Gérôme, an exhibition celebrating the 200th anniversary of the French artist Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824–1904). Running from November 3, 2024, to February 22, 2025, at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, this exhibition explores Gérôme’s art, influence, and complex legacy within Orientalist and colonial narratives, offering new insights into his work.
Organised by Qatar’s forthcoming Lusail Museum, Seeing Is Believing features nearly 400 works, including highlights from Lusail’s Orientalist art collection and significant loans from institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia. The exhibition’s three-part structure illuminates Gérôme’s legacy through different lenses: historical artworks, the role of photography, and modern reinterpretations by contemporary artists.
A Wider Lens, A New Gérôme
The first section A Wider Lens, A New Gérôme examines Gérôme’s travels in the MENASA region, his contributions to French colonial imagery, and his impact on art pedagogy. Curated by Emily Weeks, this section delves into Gérôme’s influence on peers and students alike, displaying key works by his protégés and contemporaries, including The Black Bard, an iconic painting that exemplifies his highly polished style and illusionistic techniques.
Between Gérôme and Photography: Truth is Stranger Than Fiction
The second part Between Gérôme and Photography: Truth is Stranger Than Fiction, curated by Giles Hudson, explores photography’s role in Gérôme’s work, capturing the relationship between painted and photographed depictions of the East. The section displays approximately 250 photographs by prominent 19th-century artists like Girault de Prangey and Pascal Sebah. Notable works include Dmitri Ermakov’s Burning blowout of the Caspian Black Sea, offering a rare industrial perspective that counters traditional Orientalist views.
Albumen print, 1898, 17.2 x 21.5 cm, Lusail Museum, PH.392, ©Lusail Museum, Qatar Museums
‘I Swear I Saw That’
The third part ‘I Swear I Saw That’, curated by Sara Raza, recontextualises Gérôme’s legacy within contemporary, post-colonial discourse. Featuring new commissions by Babi Badalov and Nadia Kaabi-Linke, this section uses Mathaf’s collection to foster critical conversations about colonial influences and identity. Highlights include Quintet Without Borders (2006) by Ergin Çavuşoğlu and Jewad Selim’s A Portrait of Lorna Selim (1948), which reimagine Orientalism’s influence on visual culture.
Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, MAT.2013.1.7 ,©Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha – Qatar
About Jean-Léon Gérôme
Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824–1904) was a celebrated French painter and sculptor renowned for his meticulous detail and masterful depictions of historical, mythological, and Orientalist subjects. A prominent figure in 19th-century academic art, Gérôme gained acclaim for his vivid portrayals of ancient civilisations and his travels in North Africa and the Middle East, which inspired some of Orientalism’s most iconic images. His works blended realism with imaginative elements, shaping European perceptions of the “exotic” East. As a professor at the École des Beaux-Arts, Gérôme influenced generations of artists, leaving a lasting impact on both Western art and visual storytelling.
Location: Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qatar
Dates: November 3, 2024, to February 22, 2025