Au fil de l’exposition, des dispositifs de médiation interactifs invitent les visiteurs à éclaircir une part de ce mystère. Ils participent à l’enquête autour des trois artistes, en explorant des archives historiques, en retrouvant des portraits cachés sous d’autres peintures, et en découvrant les secrets de fabrication des frères Le Nain.  

LENS.- Painting prodigies all three, the Le Nain brothers were some of the most important French artists of the 17th century, along with Nicolas Poussin and Georges de La Tour. Their paintings have been purchased by significant historical figures such as Catherine the Great of Russia, and are now sought after by the major international museums. Due to the rarity and fragility of these masterpieces, this is the first retrospective in the world dedicated to the Le Nain brothers for over 40 years. The Louvre-Lens exhibition brings together an extraordinary collection of 72 paintings, including 55 of the 75 paintings attributed to the brothers. The exhibition hosts important loans from private collections and major European, Russian and U.S. institutions. 

The work of the Le Nain brothers is one of the greatest mysteries of 17th-century French painting. Antoine, Louis and Mathieu Le Nain were originally from Laon, Picardy. In 1640s Paris, they painted a genuinely original collection of masterpieces. Their most famous compositions represent humble peasants with unprecedented dignity and psychological depth, refusing to caricature and mock scenes of country life as was popular at the time. In the wake of the Louvre’s Peasant Family, some of their works have become true icons of art history, while their meaning remains enigmatic and has resulted in multiple, contradictory interpretations. 

Together with these famous scenes of country life, the exhibition also aims to highlight other aspects of the Le Nain brothers’ art, from small-scale copperplate etchings to large-format religious compositions, not to mention mythological paintings filled with sensuality. Their work is also seen in the context of their followers, whose works were long confused with those by the Le Nain brothers. These artists are testaments to the success the three brothers experienced in their lifetime, before gradually being forgotten, until they were rediscovered by the writer and art critic Champfleury in the mid-19th century. 

The crux of the “Le Nain mystery”, the question of the attribution and distinction of these works, has fascinated art historians and sparked debate for over a century. This is why the exhibition groups the works according to their style, in an attempt to distinguish the artistic personality of each of the three brothers: Louis, the misunderstood genius; Antoine, the portraitist; and Mathieu, the ambitious one. Interactive display terminals positioned throughout the exhibition invite visitors to unravel part of this mystery. Visitors can participate in the investigation of the three artists, by exploring historical archives, finding portraits hidden under other works and discovering the trade secrets of the Le Nain brothers.

Louis Le Nain, La Tabagie. Signé en bas à droite: « Lenain. fecit. 1643 », 1643. Huile sur toile. H. 1,17 ; L. 1,37. R.F. 1969-24 © RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Mathieu Rabeau

Louis Le Nain, La Victoire, vers 1635. Huile sur toile. H. : 1,51 m. ; L. : 1,15 m. R.F. 1971-9, Paris, musée du Louvre © 1991 RMN