Lopold et Aurle Robert

Swiss painter Lopold Robert (17941835) is emblematic of the romantic myth of the artist with a tragic destiny. Educated in Paris at the cole des Beaux-Arts and in the studios of artists Jacques-Louis David and Edouard Girardet, he moved to Italy in 1818. With the substantial assistance of his brother and fellow artist Aurle (180571), he created idealised depictions of Italian brigand life and gained recognition throughout Europe. Yet, his success as a painter did not save him from the deep melancholy that eventually led to his suicide in 1835, due also to his unrequited love for Princess Charlotte Bonaparte. Loved and praised by collectors and art critics of their time, the Robert brothers oeuvre gradually fell into oblivion after Lopold's death and Aurle's subsequent return to Switzerland. This book, published to coincide with a dual exhibition at the Muse dart et dhistoire in Neuchtel and the Muse des beaux-arts in the Robert brothers native town of La Chaux-de-Fonds, pays tribute to their art and brings their great skill as painters back into focus. Based on a major research project at the University of Neuchtel and the cole du Louvre in Paris, it offers scholarly essays alongside some 170 colour plates. Text in French.