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Marie Antoinette and the Arts (Online)
One-day course
+44 (0)20 7942 2000
Exploring the fascinating and complex history of France’s most iconic queen, this study day will offer a tantalizing insight into Marie Antoinette’s life at the French court, her role as monarch and mother, and her patronage of the arts. At the forefront of the latest fashions, Marie Antoinette employed the most sought-after architects, artists and designers who created for her magnificent interiors and enchanting gardens. The study day will offer an immersive examination of her apartments at the Palaces of Versailles and Fontainebleau as well as the Petit Trianon, discuss their stylistic features and how they were luxuriously furnished with the precious products of the French royal manufactures.
This study day will take place in-person at V&A South Kensington and will also be live streamed via Microsoft Teams.
> > Prefer to attend the study day in-person at V&A South Kensington? Book now for Marie Antoinette and the Arts
Please note, the study day will not be recorded.
This study day will take place in-person at V&A South Kensington and will also be live streamed via Microsoft Teams.
> > Prefer to attend the study day in-person at V&A South Kensington? Book now for Marie Antoinette and the Arts
Please note, the study day will not be recorded.
Course leader
Dr Barbara Lasic
Barbara is Senior Lecturer in History of Art and Design and Research and Knowledge Lead at Sotheby’s Institute of Art. She is also a Consultant Lecturer at the V&A and the Wallace Collection. Barbara worked at the V&A on the redevelopment of the Europe: 1600-1800 galleries. She has published widely on French decorative arts.
A wonderful opportunity to learn in a world class museum Previous V&A Academy Course Attendee
Course overview
The study day will provide an intimate account of the Queen’s daily life and interrogate how her public and private roles were articulated and performed via portraiture, most notably through her patronage of Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun. We will will conclude with a consideration of the myth and legacy of Marie Antoinette: reviled and condemned to death during the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette inspired a cult-like fascination in the nineteenth-century, with figures like the Goncourt Brothers or Empress Eugenie devotedly collecting her former belongings.
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One-day course: Marie Antoinette and the Arts (Online)
11 October 2025
£49.00
Need help enrolling? Talk to the admissions team:
+44 (0)20 7942 2000
Open 10.00 - 13.00, Monday to Sunday (closed 24-26 December)
Related events
Header image: Plaque of blue jasper-dip with a white profile bust relief of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Ltd., Etruria, ca. 1780-1800.©Victoria and Albert Museum, London