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On view in the “Roman Art from the Louvre” exhibition, “Bust of a Young Gaul,” circa 200 AD, fine grained marble, 24¾ by 17¾ by 11 inches, Musée du Louvre. ©AFA/ Musée du Louvre/Anne Chauvet 2006.

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From :Symbols of Power,” Henry Auguste (1759–1816), “The Empress’s Nef,” 1804, gilded silver, Musée National du Château, Fontainebleau; on deposit from the Mobilier National Paris.

2 cuts requested 9-5 keri at AFA

Photos downloaded from e-m link sent 9-6

FOR 9/14

AMERICAN FEDERATION OF ARTS SPONSORS ‘SYMBOLS OF POWER’ AND ‘ROMAN ART’ w/2 cuts

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NEW YORK CITY — The American Federation of Arts (AFA)  is organizing several new exhibitions, including “Symbols of Power: Napoleon and the Art of the Empire Style 1800–1815,” now on view at the Saint Louis Art Museum through September 16 and opening at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, October 21; and “Roman Art from the Louvre,” which opens September 23 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Both exhibitions offer an opportunity for American museum visitors to see rarely traveled masterworks from renowned French collections.

“Symbols of Power” is the first definitive exhibition on the Empire Style, so named because it was designed to promote the First French Empire — Napoleon’s rule of France. Drawn from the holdings of the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, and prominent public and private collections in France and the United States, the exhibition includes some of the most important works of the Empire period.

Highlights include furniture, silverware, porcelain, bronzes, jewelry, architectural studies, clothing textiles, wallpapers, metalwork and sculpture.

“Symbols of Power” provides an overview of a sophisticated and highly influential decorative style, as well as insight into the political, social and economic forces behind its development and evolution.

Drawn from the vast collection of the Musee du Louvre, “Roman Art from the Louvre” is an unprecedented exhibition that examines aspects of Roman art within artistic, historical and socio-cultural contexts, exploring the themes of religion, urbanism, war, imperial expansion, funerary practices, intellectual life and family.

Nearly 200 examples of Roman art are on view, including a variety of monumental sculptures, sarcophagi, marble busts, reliefs, bronze and terra cotta statuettes, jewelry, silver pieces, glass and metal vessels, mosaics and frescoes.

“Roman Art from the Louvre” will be on view at the Indianapolis Museum of Art through January 6 and travel to the newly expanded Seattle Art Museum and then will be on view at the Oklahoma City Museum Art.

This fall will mark the opening of other AFA exhibitions, including: “Color as Field: American Painting, 1950–1975,” “When Gold Blossoms: Indian Jewelry from the Sudan L. Beningson Collection” and “Coming of Age: American Art, 1850s to 1950s.”

Founded through an Act of Congress in 1909, the AFA is one of the nation’s oldest not-for-profit organizations devoted to the public exhibition of art. The AFA initiates and organizes a program of exhibitions that range in content from ancient to contemporary art, and travel to national museums and abroad. The ADA also publishes exhibition catalogs and offers educational programs to enrich the public’s experience and understanding of art and culture.

The federation is at 305 East 47th Street, Tenth Floor. For information, 212-988-7700 or www.afaweb.org.