A Collector’s Drawings: The Atger Museum’s 200th Anniversary

Exhibition organized by the University Medical Library

Dates: September14–October 31, 2013
Hours:
Location: theexhibition halls of the Medical Library and the Atger Museum
Contact:biu-patrimoine-bumedecine@umontpellier.fr
Phone:04 34 43 35 80

Poster
Catalog

A Collector’s Drawings: The Atger Museum’s 200th Anniversary, 2013, 57 pages, €7

The exhibition “A Collector’s Drawings: The Atger Museum’s 200th Anniversary” traced the history of the Atger donation.
Xavier Atger (1758–1833), a collector from Montpellier, wished to share his drawings and prints with his fellow citizens, particularly medical students. He believed that academic studies, portraits, and landscapes would help them develop their aesthetic sensibility, relax their minds, and hone their powers of observation.

The exhibition took place in two locations within the historic building of the Faculty of Medicine:
It began in the library’s exhibition rooms (on the ground floor facing the courtyard), dedicated to Xavier Atger and the context of his donation from 1813 to 1833, drawing on archival documents, albums, and drawings. The collection was presented through the three major artistic schools—French, Italian, and Nordic—as well as thematic sections (which continued upstairs).

The Atger Museum (on the first floor of the Faculty) featured an exhibition of approximately 500 drawings, about 50 of which are highlighted as part of four themed tours:
1. Images of the Body: Representations of the body form a clear link between art and medicine and appear in many forms throughout the collection.
2. Portraits and caricatures: A fervent advocate of physiognomic theories, Atger collected numerous portraits and caricatures intended, in particular, to understand and illustrate human character.
3. Artists of the South: Deeply attached to his native region, Atger sought to highlight both the lesser-known and the great masters of the South.
4. The Journey to Italy: An essential stop for all artists, Italy inspires not only through its models from Antiquity and the Renaissance but also through its landscapes.

Photo credits: University of Montpellier / SCDI Montpellier – Photography Department