Virginie CAUCHI
EUGÈNE DELACROIX (1798-1863), PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS

Return to Experts
Sardanapale. Eugène Delacroix, La Mort de Sardanapale, 1827-1828, Huile sur toile (détail), Paris, Musée du Louvre, copyright: Musée du Louvre, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Angèle Dequier.
Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863) The Death of Sardanapalus, 1827-28 - Oil on canvas - Musée du Louvre, Paris - R.F.2346. (detail of the painting, before restoration)

THE ARTIST Few artists embody a nation as much as Eugène Delacroix. From The Massacres at Chios to Liberty Leading the People, from Women of Algiers to The Death of Sardanapalus, the emblematic artist of the 19th century left behind a considerable body of work. Prolific and multifaceted, Delacroix explored every facet of his art. From grand decorations to works submitted to the Salons, from his palette to his sketchbooks, he mastered all techniques and mediums. He painted everything his eyes saw, everything his dreams inspired, from literature to the Orient, from the streets of Paris to the walls of Meknes... Great art historians have dedicated their entire lives to this extraordinary body of work, such as Ernest Chesneau, René Huygue, Maurice Sérullaz, or Lee Johnson, author of the latest Catalogue Raisonné.   THE EXPERT It is now Virginie Cauchi's turn to dedicate herself to this mission. A Doctor of Art History from Sorbonne University, this specialist in Eugène Delacroix has devoted all of her academic research to the artist, leading to the recent discovery of a previously unpublished Study for Women of Algiers. Her extensive knowledge of the master's painted and graphic work, as well as her keen eye, now allow her to continue Lee Johnson's work in establishing the new Catalogue Raisonné of Eugène Delacroix.

Bibliography

  PUBLICATIONS AND LECTURES 2007 - 2025

  • December 2025. "Emperor Domitian"; "Arab Warrior Costume"; "Sleeping Tiger"; in Delacroix. 1798-1863. Three Facets of Eugène Delacroix's Graphic Work in the Marie Anne Poniatowski Krugier Collection. Archives d’un regard IV Collection, Geneva, Marie Anne Poniatowski Krugier Foundation. Link: https://fondationmaponiatowski-krugier.com/
  • June 2025. The Journal of Eugène Delacroix: An Intimate Work and Literary Animal. Lecture given as part of the Festival du Journal Intime in Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys, preceded by a reading of excerpts from the artist's Journal by Yaël Elhadad and Laurent Stocker of the Comédie Française.
  • March 2025. Eugène Delacroix and Oriental Costume: Encountering a Culture. Lecture given as part of the exhibition "Les Orients de Mainssieux", Voiron, Musée Mainssieux.
  • June 2024: Scenes from the Massacres at Chios: The Rediscovery of a Sketch. Lecture given at the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire in Geneva on the occasion of the publication of De bleu, de blanc et de rouge: Catalogue of 19th-Century French Paintings (1800-1918), edited by Frédéric Elsig and Victor Lopes. Link: https://fr.silvanaeditoriale.it/libro/9788836653560?srsltid=AfmBOop-5OOsFSyKfKWA-AeQKrJOKwu27-NNIpjlKXPRocnz3d9OYnV0
  • May 2024. When Delacroix's Lions Devour Géricault's Horses: A Bestiary of Flesh and Blood. Lecture given as part of the bicentenary symposium "Géricault: Romantic and Revolutionary Painter", Rouen, Académie des Sciences, Belles-Lettres et Arts, in collaboration with the Musée de la Vie Romantique, Paris. Proceedings forthcoming.
  • December 2022. Delacroix and "Followers": Friends, Colleagues, Collaborators, Admirers. A Work and Its Imprint. Lecture given at Tajan, Paris, followed by a book signing for Eugène Delacroix and the Critics: 1822-1885, released in March 2022.
  • March 2022. Eugène Delacroix and the Critics: 1822-1885, Mare et Martin editions. Link: https://www.fnac.com/a14857413/Virginie-Cauchi-Eugene-Delacroix-et-la-critique-1822-1885
  • September 2018. Eugène Delacroix and the Critics: 1822-1885. PhD thesis conducted under the supervision of Barthélémy Jobert, Paris-Sorbonne University. Jury composed of Robert Kopp, professor at the University of Basel; Christine Peltre, professor at the Marc-Bloch University of Strasbourg; Arlette Sérullaz, Honorary General Curator at the Department of Graphic Arts of the Musée du Louvre and honorary director of the Musée National Eugène Delacroix; Pierre Wat, professor at the University of Paris I-Panthéon-Sorbonne.
  • June 2018. "Women of Algiers: Genesis of a Myth", in Eugène Delacroix: Study for Women of Algiers. A work documenting the discovery of an unpublished study now held at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Link: https://emuseum.mfah.org/objects/143959/women-of-algiers?ctx=2ce88d2bbbdbcf13d3f839a922d53d48245969e1&idx=1
  • January 2015. Eugène Delacroix and the Critics in the 1840s: The Affirmation of a Classical Master. Article and lecture presented as part of the symposium "Art Criticism from the Revolution to the July Monarchy". Symposium proceedings published in full and available online:
  • March 2014. Eugène Delacroix: The Reception of a New Aesthetic of Emotion. Lecture given as part of the Society of Dix-Neuvièmistes symposium "The Emotions", March 28-30, 2014, United Kingdom, University of Sheffield. Link: https://uksdn.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/sdn-2014-the-emotions-programme.pdf
  • January 2013. Eugène Delacroix and the Critics: A History of Color in the 19th Century. Lecture given as part of the Art History doctoral days. Paris, Paris Sorbonne University.
  • 2008 Eugène Delacroix and Tradition. Master 1 research thesis conducted under the supervision of Claude Jasmin, Aix-Marseille University. Examination jury composed of Claude Jasmin and Pierre Wat. Eugène Delacroix and Tradition.
  • 2007 Master 1 research thesis conducted under the supervision of Claude Jasmin, Aix-Marseille University. Examination jury composed of Claude Jasmin and Pierre Wat.
 

Contact

Virginie CAUCHI
  +33 (0)6 78 11 11 48 info@virginie-cauchi.fr http://www.virginie-cauchi.fr

[UFE number : 412]

UFE Paris, 2021 - Musée du Louvre, Virginie Cauchi © photo MademoiselleKriss, 2021