Gustave Doré, The Triumph of Christianity over Paganism, 1868. Oil on canvas, 300 × 200 cm. Art Gallery of Hamilton, Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Collection, 2002 (2002.33.18)

OTTAWA.- From now until September 14, nearly 100 striking works of art by Gustave Doré—one of the most extraordinary artists of the 19th century—are being showcased at the National Gallery of Canada for the North American exclusive exhibition Gustave Doré (1832 – 1883): Master of Imagination. These spectacular and familiar works, in which fantasy and reality overlap, have inspired generations. Organized by the National Gallery of Canada in collaboration with the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the exhibition is the first comprehensive retrospective in thirty years devoted to this tremendous artist. 

A master of many genres

At just 15 years of age, Doré began his career as a caricaturist. He later became a professional illustrator, contributing to the birth of the comic strip and the graphic novel. Doré created well-known illustrations for classics such as Perrault’s Fairy Tales, Cervantes’ Don Quixote and Dante’s Inferno, as well as his extraordinary edition of the Bible. Doré also revived history painting to depict the disasters of the Franco-Prussian War from 1870–1871 and the consequent loss of his native Alsace.

Gifted with remarkable inventiveness, this ardent and prolific artist captured the intensity of nature and created otherworldly realms of fantasy. This ingenuity led him to produce large-scale canvases and enormous Baroque sculptures, as well as insightful ink drawings and detailed engravings. Unswayed by new trends, Doré was guided principally by his own extraordinary imagination and has since become a fertile source of inspiration to many 20th- and 21st-century artists and filmmakers. 

A brilliant artist, reinstated

The exhibition showcases Doré’s great artistic diversity. During his lifetime, he was known mostly as an illustrator—much to his chagrin; he dreamed of becoming one of the most renowned painters of his time. Doré’s versatility can be seen across his prints, drawings, watercolours, paintings and sculptures, ranging from spectacular panoramas to intimate studies on paper. By presenting the broad range of mediums with which he worked, the exhibition seeks to re-establish Doré as a complete artist. 

An exhibition with seven themes

The exhibition focuses on seven themes: following an operatic-style overture built around the exceptional loan of Poème de la Vigne—an immense bronze that belongs to the de Young Museum in San Francisco—the exhibition continues through the Satirical and Popular Reporter, Literary Imagination, Landscapes, the Franco-Prussian War, journeys in Spain and London, and finally the rebirth of Religious Art. 

The exhibition is enriched with excerpts from some 20 films projected on three screens, produced by some of the world’s cinematic giants—from Georges Méliès, Jean Cocteau, Cecil B. DeMille to Jean-Jacques Annaud, and Roman Polanski —whose works were unquestionably influenced by Doré. Guests can also learn more about Doré by watching a 52-minute documentary produced by ARTE, showing in one of the exhibition rooms. 

Gustave Doré (1832 – 1883): Master of Imagination brings together works from prestigious public and private collections, including the Musée d’Orsay, San Francisco’s De Young Museum, the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. 

Gustave Doré, Souvenir of Loch Lomond, 1875. Oil on canvas, 131 × 196 cm. French & Co. LLC

Gustave Doré, The Enigma, 1871. Oil on canvas, 130 × 195.5 cm. Musée d’Orsay, Paris (RF 1982-68). Photo: Patrice Schmidt / © RMN-Grand Palais

Gustave Doré, Dante and Virgil in the Ninth Circle of Hell, 1861. Oil on canvas, 315 × 450 cm. Musée du monastère royal de Brou, Bourg-en-Bresse (982.234). Photo: Hugo Maertens, Bruges

Gustave Doré, Les Saltimbanques dit aussi L’Enfant blessé, 1874. Huile sur toile, 224 x 184 cm. Clermont-Ferrand, musée d’Art Roger-Quillot © Ville de Clermont-Ferrand – musée d’art Roger-Quilliot

Gustave Doré, 'Pierrot grimaçant', sans date / © Photo : musées de Strasbourg

Gustave Doré, Le Christ au roseau, 1874, Plume et encre noire, pierre noire, lavis d’encre de Chine, 58 x 44 cm, Musée Tavet-Delacour, Pontoise © Musée de Pontoise

Gustave Doré, « Au secours ! Au secours ! Voilà M. le marquis de Carabas qui se noie », frontispice pour Le Maître Chat ou Le Chat botté, publié dans Charles Perrault, Contes, illustré par Gustave Doré, gravé par Adolphe François Pannemaker (1822-1900), Paris, Hetzel, 1862, in-fol. 43 x 31 x 4,5 cm (livre fermé) Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, réserve des Livres rares © Bibliothèque Nationale de France

Gustave Doré « Que son sort malheureux – paraît triste et fâcheux » Xylographie gravée par Jean Best (1808-1879), publiée dans Pierre Dupont, La Légende du juif errant, Paris, Michel Lévy, 1856, grand in-fil., pl.VII Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, réserve des Livres rares © Bibliothèque Nationale de France

Gustave Doré, « Il me regarda un peu et me demanda avec dédain : Quels furent tes ancêtres? ». Xylographie gravée par Héliodore Pisan (1822-1890), publiée dans Dante Alighieri, L’Enfer, Paris, librairie Hachette, 1861, in-fol. 43 x 33,5 x 8 cm livre fermé Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, réserve de Livres rares © Bibliothèque Nationale de France

Gustave Doré, « D’autres étaient rangés en cercles et chantaient des chœurs d’une beauté inexprimable ». Xylographie gravée par Adolphe François Pannemaker (1822-1900), publiée dans Rudolf Erich Raspe, Les Aventures du Baron de Münchhausen, Paris, Furne, 1862, in-4° Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, département littérature © Bibliothèque nationale de France

Frontispice de 'Don Quichotte', illustré par Gustave Doré, gravé par Héliodore Pisan (1822 - 1890), Paris, Librairie Hachette, 1863 / © Bibliothèque nationale de France 

Gustave Doré, Joyeuseté, dit aussi À saute-mouton, vers 1881, Bronze, 36,5 x 27 x 17 cm,  Paris, musée d’Orsay © Musée d’Orsay, Dist.RMN-Grand Palais / Patrice Schmidt

Adrien Tournachon (1825-1903), Gustave Doré barbu, vers 1854, Photographie, 23,3 x 17 cm. Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, département des Estampes et de la Photographie, © Bibliothèque Nationale de France

Nadar, Gustave Doré (1832–1883), c. 1856–58. Gelatin silver print, 20.6 × 15 cm. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Gift of Dorothy Meigs Eidlitz, St. Andrews, New Brunswick, 1968 (32337). Photo © NGC

Soccer star/underwear model David Beckham recently got a tattoo on his upper left chest of a scene drawn by Gustave Doré in the hugely successful illustrated bible.