Major Boulle retrospective to open in Frankfurt

More than 150 works of André-Charles Boulle (1642-1732), Louis the XIVth's acclaimed cabinetmaker, are to be displayed in Frankfurt from October 28 in the first international retrospective dedicated to the French master craftsman.

Boulle was so influencial that he gave his name to a technique called boulle, or buhl work, that spread in Europe and was imitated during the 18th and 19th centuries. His style is characterized by elaborate adornment with brass and marquetry, a style that he turned into an art form in itself.

André-Charles Boulle: a new style for Europe also recreates the context in which the artist produced his works, showing them in conjunction with paintings, tapestries, bronzes and mounted porcelain of his time. Moreover, some of the pieces displayed have in some cases never been seen in public before.

More than 20 international institutions are involved with loans including Saint Petersburg's State Hermitage Museum (Russia); London's Victoria & Albert Museum (UK) ; Berlin's Deutsches Historisches Museum (Germany); Boston's Museum of Fine Arts (USA) and Versailles' Musée national du château de Versailles et des Trianons (France).

The Boulle Project will be prolonged over a period of two years by a cycle of symposiums organized in France, Germany and the United States.

André-Charles Boulle: a new style for Europe
Museum fur Angewandte Kunst Frankfurt- Frankfurt Museum of Fine Arts
October 28 - January, 31, 2010
Tickets: €5/10
www.angewandtekunst-frankfurt.de