The Musée d’art et d’histoire de Genève (MAH) presents “Liotard et Marie-Antoinette. Visages sous enquête (Liotard and Marie Antoinette. Faces Under Investigation)” until Sunday 7 February 2027. The exhibition brings together the eleven drawings of the children of Maria Theresa of Austria made by Jean-Étienne Liotard.
The story
In 1762, the Geneva artist Jean-Étienne Liotard (1702-1789) portrayed the children of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. Among them was the future Queen of France, Marie Antoinette. The MAH holds the reference collection of this artist.
Who organises it
The Musée d’art et d’histoire of the City of Geneva organises the exhibition. The research presented is carried out with the University of Oxford, the University of Lausanne and the Idiap research institute.
What to find
The exhibition presents recent research on the exact identity of these faces and on the history of the drawings. It combines archival work, forensic science and artificial intelligence.
A new piece is shown for the first time. It is the portrait of Francis Stephen of Lorraine (1708-1765), emperor and father of the children, acquired thanks to the Société des Amis du Musée.
A conference, “Jean-Étienne Liotard, une approche interdisciplinaire (Jean-Étienne Liotard, an Interdisciplinary Approach)”, takes place at the MAH from 3 to 5 February 2027.
Practical information
- Dates, 3 Oct. 2026 to Sunday 7 Feb. 2027
- Opening hours, Tuesday to Sunday 11 am to 6 pm, Thursday 12 noon to 9 pm
- Venue, Musée d’art et d’histoire, rue Charles-Galland 2, 1206 Geneva
- Price, pay what you wish (“Paie ce qu’il te plaît”)
- Access, pushchairs, wheelchairs, people with hearing loss
- Languages, French and English
Links
- Official site, MAH, Liotard et Marie-Antoinette (Liotard and Marie Antoinette)
- All events across French-speaking Switzerland, Genève Infos Agenda
Sources
- MAH, Liotard et Marie-Antoinette. Visages sous enquête (Liotard and Marie Antoinette. Faces Under Investigation), accessed 13 November 2026
- MAH, Prices and tickets, accessed 13 November 2026
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