Eugène Delacroix and George Sand first met in November 1834, when Frédéric Buloz, editor-in-chief of La Revue des deux mondes, asked the artist to paint a portrait of the writer to illustrate his articles. Sand’s relationship with Alfred de Musset had just ended; the writer was a broken young woman when she posed for the artist.

The meeting was the beginning of a great, spirited friendship that had its share of ups and downs, and lasted until the painter’s death in 1863. The Musée National Eugène-Delacroix acquired this intimate, moving portrait last spring, and has organized an exhibition centered around the friendship and the artistic life of the day in honor of this remarkable acquisition.

The exhibition will showcase The Education of the Virgin, a large canvas painted in 1842 for the church of Nohant, where the artist was visiting his friend. The pair shared a love of Shakespeare and Byron, and admired the raw power and fiery palettes of Spanish art. Set up in the artist’s former studio, the exhibition highlights Delacroix’s various talents: painting, drawing, etching and writing.

Organized by: Dominique de Font-Réaulx, Musée National Eugène-Delacroix.