(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The Musée d'Orsay and Qatar Museums (QM) have announced an agreement to loan Gustave Courbet's masterpiece autoportrait, also known as Le Désespéré, to the Paris museum.
By virtue of the agreement, Courbet's painting (The Desperate Man, circa 1844-1845) owned by Qatar Museums, is now on display at the Musée d'Orsay.
The picture is to be on display at the Musée d'Orsay until the opening of the Art Mill Museum in Doha, an institution that will be devoted to Qatar Museums' modern and contemporary art collection.
The agreement was announced on the occasion of the official tribute paid to Sylvain Amic, President of the Musées d'Orsay et de l'Orangerie.
HE Chairperson of Qatar Museums Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad al-Thani said, "Sylvain Amic was a visionary who understood the need for works of art to travel and be accessible to different parts of the world. His work with us under a new cultural agreement between Qatar and France made possible the long-term loan of Gustave Courbet's self-portrait Le Désespéré, a painting we acquired for our future Art Mill Museum of modern and contemporary art. Le Désespéré reflects Courbet's emotional struggle to break away from artistic conventions and be understood. In a similar way, Sylvain moved away from the status quo, enhancing museum experiences beyond traditional norms. We honour his memory by unveiling Le Désespéré at the Musée d'Orsay on this occasion, with pride that the painting will travel regularly between Doha and Paris in the future, and with confidence that Sylvain's legacy will inspire the next generation of museum directors and curators to think about the power of culture beyond their own walls."
Between 1842 and 1855, Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) produced some twenty painted and drawn self-portraits. This self-portrait is certainly the most remarkable and the most mysterious of them all. In it, Courbet depicts himself in the guise of a bohemian artist (billowing white shirt and blue smock), eyes wide, mouth half-open, and hands clutching his hair. The tight framing and violent lighting contribute to the work's dramatic tension, which is enhanced by the fact that the model's emotional state is caused by something that can only be guessed atée dOrsay Qatar Museums Gustave Courbet Le Désespéré

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