1845 -1902 · Paris, Toulouse, Spain, Morocco, London and large settings

Sumptuous colors, Moroccan scenes and international portraits make Benjamin-Constant a spectacular figure of fin-de-siecle orientalism.

Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant was born in Paris in 1845 and grew up in Toulouse. He joined the Paris School of Fine Arts in 1867 in the studio of Alexandre Cabanel, then began at the Salon in 1869. After the war of 1870, his travels to Spain and Morocco transformed his subjects and his palette. Tangier, palaces, mosques, guards, ceremonies and terraces provide a repertoire that he combines with the history of Byzantium and Muslim Spain. These paintings are part of European orientalism: they are based on observations, costumes and real architecture, but also construct a theatrical Orient shaped by the colonial expectations of the public. The King of Morocco sets out to meet a European ambassador deploys horses, dignitaries and colors like a diplomatic procession. On the contrary, the Day of the Funeral reduces the scene to a seriousness of gestures and tones. The Entry of Sultan Mehmet II into Constantinople combines historical documentation and great spectacle, while harem interiors transform textiles, walls and light into waiting spaces. From the 1880s, Benjamin-Constant turned more towards portraiture and monumental decoration. From the 1880s, Benjamin-Constant turned more towards portraiture and monumental decoration. From the 1880s, Benjamin-Constant turned more towards portraiture and monumental decoration. From the 1880s, Benjamin-Constant turned more towards portraiture and monumental decoration. From the 1880s, Benjamin-Constant turned more towards portraiture and monumental decoration. From the 1880s, Benjamin-Constant turned more towards portraiture and monumental decoration. He painted a French, British and American clientele, seeking the authority of the face, the sumptuous rendering of the costume and a format capable of supporting social rank. He also creates public settings, particularly in Paris. His international success is based on solid academic technique and powerful color. Died in Paris in 1902, he left a work which allows us to study pictorial virtuosity, image diplomacy and the orientalist imaginations of the 19th century. The "Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant" selection notably compares The King of Morocco meets a European ambassador and The Day of the Funeral. His reading favors movement.

Benjamin-Constant constructs the stage like an embassy of colors: fabric, wall, horse and gaze negotiate together the power, the distance and the image of elsewhere.