The Regency in Paris (1715-1723)

Louis XIV died on 1 September 1715 in Versailles, leaving behind a country in debt and an heir too young to rule, Louis XV. On 2 September, the Duke Philippe d’Orléans (1674-1723), the deceased king’s nephew, became the kingdom’s prince regent.

In 1715, the court, institutions of power and administrative bodies relocated to Paris, the second city in Europe, the population of which was growing exponentially at the time. The city, especially the Palais-Royal, the Regent’s residence, became the hub of political life from then on. The following years were marked by intense cultural vivacity, which gave rise to a world of philosophical, economic and artistic innovations, with Voltaire, Marivaux, Montesquieu, Law, Watteau as its figureheads and Paris at its centre. The economic and financial frenzy, with the invention of paper money and bankruptcy in 1720, punctuated Parisian life with a series of resounding coups de theatre. The Regency brought about a new era of free critical thinking, which would go on to be known as the “Spirit of Enlightenment”.

With over 200 works (paintings, sculptures, graphic works, decorative elements, and pieces of furniture) from public and private collections, the public will get a chance to explore this unique historical period and gain an understanding of the mutations in society at a time when Paris established itself as the lasting cultural capital of France.

Concurrently to the exhibition, an online exhibit will present the entirety of the Bouvier collection, a remarkable Parisian collection of 18^th-century furniture and art objects.