Alexandre Exhibition

~ Alexandre ~
Fan Maker to the Courts of Europe

Félix Alexandre (b.1823) rose to fame during the 1850’s to become fan-maker to Empress Eugènie, the Empress of Russia, the Queen of the Netherlands and Queen Victoria – a fact proudly proclaimed in gold letters on the inside of his fan boxes. Not only did Alexandre paint fan leaves and produce designs for many of the elaborate montures (sticks and guards), he was also the first éventailliste to employ painters and designers who were part of the coterie of fashionable artists working in France at this time.

This ambitious exhibition, a joint initiative of The Fan Museum and Musée Galliera (Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris), will bring together, for the first time, an array of exquisite Alexandre fans including loans from Royal Collections and some of Europe’s most prestigious collectors. Drawing on extensive archival research, the exhibition offers unparalleled insights into the craft of a particularly enigmatic éventailliste, undoubtedly one of the major forces in 19th century French fan design and production.