DELVING INTO DELACBOK: "[Eugene] Delacroix was a transformative figure in the history of European painting, and his influence significantly shaped what we think of today as modern. This exhibition is a rare opportunity to experience the breathtaking talent and remarkable scope of one of the most-creative forces of the 19th century."(MUSEUMS TODAY) ("Delacroix" exhibit at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art)

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FRENCH PAINTER Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863) was one of the greatest creative figures of the 19th century. Through his choice of daring subjects and compositions, a vibrant palette, and bold brushwork, he set into motion a cascade of innovations that changed the course of art. "What I find so fine about Delacroix is precisely that he reveals the liveliness of things, and the expression and the movement, that he is utterly beyond the paint," wrote Vincent van Gogh in 1885.

Although Delacroix is celebrated as the embodiment of the Romantic era, much remains to be understood about his life and prolific career. On view through Jan. 6, 2019, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, "Delacroix" is the first comprehensive retrospective in North America devoted to the artist. Visitors will discover a protean genius who continues to set the bar for artists today.

"Delacroix was a transformative figure in the history of European painting, and his influence significantly shaped what we think of today as modem," says Max Hollein, director of The Met. "This exhibition is a rare opportunity to experience the breathtaking talent and remarkable scope of one of the most-creative forces of the 19th century."

The exhibition illuminates Delacroix's restless imagination in all its complexity through more than 150 paintings, drawings, prints, and manuscripts--many of which never have been shown before in the U.S.

In addition to works from The Met collection, the exhibit includes exceptional loans from France's Musee du Louvre and some 60 museums and private collections throughout Europe and North America. Among the highlights are Delacroix's landmark works "Greece on the Ruins of Missolonghi" (1826), "The Battle of Nancy" (1831), "Women of Algiers in Their Apartment" (1834), "Medea About to Kill Her Children" (1838), and "The Lion Hunt" (1855).

Encompassing 12 galleries, the exhibition provides a largely chronological overview of the three main phases of Delacroix's four-decade career. The first phase centers on his formative years (1822-34), dominated by a thirst for novelty, fame, and freedom. The second (1835-55) is marked by his exploration of historical themes informed by large mural commissions, as well as his triumph at the Exposition Universelle of 1855. The third and final phase follows Delacroix's growing interest in nature and the creative role of memory, up until his death.

Delacroix regarded the Salon--the annual (later biannual) state-sponsored...