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MEDIA RELEASE - 7 July 1999

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French Masterpieces at the National Library

Terre Napoléon:
Australia Through French Eyes

National Library Gallery 10 July – 17 October

Forty-six luminous, breathtaking and delicate images – of Aboriginal culture, the Port Jackson settlement and above all Australia’s marine life, bird life and mammals – arrive from France at the National Library of Australia in Canberra this week. Brought to Australia by the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales, the magnificent exhibition Terre Napoléon Australia Through French Eyes will be in the National Library Gallery until 17 October.

Indigenous AustralianThe watercolours and drawings, which form the core of the exhibition, are tantalising reminders of Napoleon’s ambitions to conquer a new scientific empire in the antipodes. They display the genius of Charles-Alexandre Leseuer and Nicolas-Martin Petit, artists of the expedition which set sail from France on 19 October 1800. Under the overall command of Captain Nicolas-Thomas Baudin, the expedition discovered more specimens and described more new species than all previous European voyages combined, including those of Captain Cook.

This is the first time that the collection has travelled to Australia from the Musuem d’Histoire Naturelle in Le Havre.

And in Canberra, forty-six rare and intriguing additional items, maps, paintings, prints and manuscripts from the National Library’s collections will join the exhibition Terre Napoléon: Australia through French eyes 1800-1804. These additional items will help visitors to the exhibition visualise the voyage. The works from the National Library’s collections allow us to see the places that Baudin and his crew visited, and provide a context for the discoveries and comments of the French.

This is fascinating French, British and Australian history. And beautiful to behold.

Media Launch

Friday 9 July 11am with curator Susan Hunt

National Library of Australia


For more information, interviews and images please call:

Tonya Beeton
National Library of Australia
(02) 6262 1160
or email tbeeton@nla.gov.au


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