This rich overview of masterpieces from the École des Beaux-Arts—the original school of fine arts in Paris and a repository for work by Europe’s most renowned artists since the seventeenth century—includes approximately 140 paintings, sculptures, and works on paper dating from antiquity through the nineteenth century. The exhibition focuses on epic themes such as courage, sacrifice, and death, as well as the ways that changing political and philosophical systems affected the choice and execution of these subjects. Among the featured works are paintings by JacquesLouis David, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Anne-Louis Girodet, and Jean-AugusteDominique Ingres; sculpture by Antoine-Louis Barye, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, JeanAntoine Houdon, and François
