Francois Boucher, 1703-1770

From the Foreward of this 384 page book: "It is not by coincidence that, for the past decade, the achievements of the great French painters of the eighteenth century have been the subject of monographic exhibitions and of broader surveys on both sides of the Atlantic. A concerted effort on the part of our museums has allowed an ever-growing public to consider in depth the careers of a Largillierre or a Watteau, of a Chardin or an Oudry, to grasp the variety of genres and styles of the painters of the Age of Louis XIV and of Louis XV or to witness the radical changes which affected artists in the later part of the century, with David as their most congenial leader. The exhibition we are presenting is of particular importance in that Francois Boucher, more than any other artist of his time, has epitomized 'le gout francais'. Longevity of career and industry made him the most diverse and productive artist of his generation. The reproductions or interpretations of his work in other media, tapestries and porcelain in particular - an aspect of his activity we have found essential to represent - have contributed to the spreading of a style which, until the neoclassic upheaval, was the norm throughout Europe." Included in this text is a timeline of the life of Boucher, as well as dozens of reproductions of his work in both color and black and white.