Samuel von Brukenthal (1721-1803)

For many years, the Baron was a close adviser of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. After a long career in politics, in 1777 he was appointed governor of Transylvania, where he had been born in 1721. He quickly gained a reputation as an insatiable collector, acquiring, over just a few years, more than 16 000 valuable books, a huge number of objets d'art, almost 800 etchings and 1200 pictures. The collection, created with the assistance of art dealers and specialists, was expanded by the donation of some very fine works from the Empress herself. It quickly became regarded as one of the "finest and richest collections in Vienna". Nowadays, the collection is known as one of the most prestigious in Central Europe.

The Brukenthal National Museum

Opened to the public in 1817, the Brukenthal National Museum was originally Baron Samuel von Brukenthal's official residence. Built between 1778 and 1788, at Sibiu in Romania, the palace, then comprising an art gallery and a library, was home to the entire collection. During his lifetime, the Baron transformed the palace into a veritable museum, one of the first museums in Romania.

For the first time in its history, the Brukenthal National Museum is offering on loan an incomparable group of some fifty works of art. This exhibition is a genuine voyage of discovery and a unique opportunity to discover, at the Musée Jacquemart-André, the masterpieces in this collection. This important event is the fruit of a close collaboration between the Muzeul National Brukenthal, the Romanian Ministry of Culture, the Institut de France and Culturespaces.