Mes chers amis - Drawings in the Collections of 19th-century French Artists

Exhibition Catalogue Mes chers amis. Drawings in the Collections of 19th-century French Artists, presented at the Fondation Custodia, Paris (17 october 2026 - 17 january2027).

In the 19th century, whether out of friendship, admiration or loyalty, artists surrounded themselves with the works of their peers, amongst which drawings – intimate and personal objects – held a special place.

Enriched with a number of paintings and documents, "Mes chers amis" shines a light on various artists who were collectors and reveals a selection of remarkable drawings, often gifted or exchanged, bearing witness to a sense of belonging to a group. Illustrious names appear alongside others who are less well-known: Théodore Géricault, Léon Cogniet, Théodore Rousseau, Honoré Daumier, Gustave Doré and James Whistler. These collections met with varying fates following the deaths of their founders. Whilst some were preserved and bequeathed to museums – such as that of Pierre-Jean David d’Angers in Angers – others were dispersed at public auction, the most admired of which remains that of Edgar Degas.

From the Villa Medici, where the first friendships between winners of the Prix de Rome were forged, to the Parisian studios, the catalogue explores these networks of artists. Some collected works by their masters, others by their friends, giving rise to unique collections, characterised by loyalty and admiration.

Two key figures form the backbone of the book: Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres and Eugène Delacroix. Their works, carefully preserved by other artists, bear witness to their enduring influence and the fascination they held for their contemporaries.

"Mes chers amis" brings together around a hundred works from, amongst others, the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and numerous French institutions, such as the museums in Angers, Besançon and Rouen. The catalogue offers an opportunity to explore the various social circles and the personalities of the artist-collectors featured, who were born between the last third of the 18th century and the first half of the following century.