FIRST GALA OF THE CERCLE DES ARTS GRAPHIQUES CENTERED AROUND THE POMPEIAN HOUSE ON MARCH 22, 2023
On Wednesday, March 22, 2023, the inaugural Gala evening of the Graphic Arts Circle of the Museum of Decorative Arts took place, focusing on the theme of the Pompeian House. About a hundred guests—patrons, enlightened enthusiasts, and collectors closely associated with the museum—gathered for the occasion in the Salon 1900 and Salon des Boiseries, facing the Tuileries Garden. This unprecedented event, organized in conjunction with the Drawing Fair, will, through the funds collected, facilitate the restoration of around 450 drawings by the architect Alfred Normand related to the Pompeian House, for which he designed all the decorations. Built between 1856-1860 on Avenue Montaigne for Prince Jérôme Napoléon, the Emperor’s first cousin, this palace was freely inspired by several residences of the submerged city. The prince exhibited his collections there, maintained a library of 11,000 volumes, and hosted literary evenings and theatrical performances in a neo-antique ambiance. The legendary Villa was destroyed in 1891. Once the drawings are restored, a comprehensive study on the Pompeian House will be published.