Experience the art and culture of Versailles in this program of talks, tours, and musical performances, which together provide an insightful look at the material abundance of elite society around the time of the French Revolution of 1789. Reimagine the wide array of objects and music in their original setting: trapped amid the tumultuous social and political events of the period.
The daylong event begins with presentations about the culture of France in the late 18th century and the luxurious furnishings that survived the rebellion against a culture of excess. A guided tour is then offered through the Getty Museum galleries to get an up-close look at the French aristocracy and their furniture, including the chair in which Marie-Antoinette sat to have her hair and make-up done at Petit Trianon, behind the Palace of Versailles. Enjoy lunch on the spectacular Getty grounds, then return to the auditorium for a conversation with Maestro James Conlon and a recital of selections related to LA Opera’s Figaro Unbound featuring singers from the LA Opera.
This program complements the Getty Museum’s celebrated collection of French 18th-century decorative arts, always on view in the elaborately furnished paneled rooms of the Getty Center’s South Pavilion.
Luxury and Liberation: Art and Revolution in 18th-Century France is $60/person and includes morning coffee and pastries and lunch. To purchase tickets, call (310) 440–7300 or visit What's On. Parking is $15.
Program Schedule
9:00am
Check-in, coffee, and pastries
9:30am
Introduction
9:40–10:20am
Figaro and Marie-Antoinette
Lynn A. Hunt, Distinguished Research Professor, Eugen Weber Professor of Modern European History, Emerita, UCLA
10:20–11:00am
Luxury and Liberation: Art on the Eve of Rebellion
Charissa Bremer-David, curator of sculpture & decorative arts, J. Paul Getty Museum
11:00–11:45am
Aftermath: Reverberations of the Terror in the Opera House and Concert Hall
Mitchell Morris, associate professor of musicology, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music
11:45am–1:45pm
Lunch and museum tours
1:45–2:30pm
Conversation with James Conlon, Richard Seaver Music Director, LA Opera
2:30–3:15pm
LA Opera recital