The Experience of Nature in the Arts
at the Court of Rudolf II in Prague
From 19 March
to 30 June 2025
Musée du Louvre
99 rue de Rivoli
75001 Paris
A great patron of the arts and sciences, Emperor Rudolf II (1552-1612) was one of the European sovereigns whose enthusiasm for the study of nature was the most passionate.
He summoned scholars and artists from all over Europe to his court, who worked in close proximity to one another within the castle grounds, turning Prague into a true laboratory, a place of experimentation, in an atmosphere conducive to intellectual and religious tolerance.
Amor. Allégorie du printemps
Georg Hoefnagel
c Musée du Louvre. Dist RMN-Grand-Palais Martine Beck-Coppola
The first part of the exhibition presents this convergence of scientific and artistic perspectives on nature, particularly evident at the Prague court.
The second part of the exhibition shows how this visual curiosity, shared by scientists and artists alike, contributed to the renewal of artistic creation in Prague.
Richelieu Wing, Richelieu Gallery
General Curatorship
Alena Volrábová, Director of Graphic Arts Collections, National Gallery Prague and Xavier Salmon, Director of the Graphic Arts Department, Louvre Museum
Scientific Curatorship
Philippe Malgouyres, Chief Curator of the Department of Decorative Arts and Olivia Savatier, Curator of the Department of Graphic Arts, Louvre Museum
