The Petit Palais in Paris reopened on Tuesday with an exhibition of French drawings from the 17th to the 19th century, in which Europe 1 is a partner. This collection is the work of the spouses Louis-Antoine and Véronique Prat, who have collected the pieces for several decades.

It is a dazzling array of works on display for visitors from Tuesday, for the reopening of the Petit Palais: from Poussin to Baudelaire, via Degas, around 200 drawings from the Prat Collection, one of the most important in France and in the world, are gathered within the exhibition "The Force of the drawing", of which Europe 1 is partner *. An accomplishment made possible by the passion of the Prat spouses, for whom art is above all a form of play.

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"We didn't know much"

Louis-Antoine and Véronique Prat met at the Louvre school and for 45 years, they have been collecting the drawings of Poussin, Delacroix, Cézanne and others. "We started trying to buy designs from Drouot, from flea markets, a little bit everywhere from merchants," recalls Louis-Antoine. "Obviously, we didn't know much and then little by little, it's like poker, you learn by playing!"

" The drawing I prefer is the one I don't have yet "

In "La Force du dessin", an exhibition which brings together drawings from the 17th to the beginning of the 19th century, we find landscapes but also many portraits, like a little girl sketched by Edgar Degas: "It is a delicious drawing where the little girl is represented on a green background ", describes the collector. "It is an absolutely exquisite design, which we found for not very expensive, it was in 1976, more than 40 years ago."

The exhibition "The Force of Drawing, Masterpieces from the Prat Collection" will open its doors tomorrow!
Info: https://t.co/rqmU10c1CO
Reservation required: https://t.co/yBPoLw2KoP#petitpalais#expo#CollectionPratpic.twitter.com/fHhzE0Gwu2

- Petit Palais (@PetitPalais_) June 15, 2020

A museum will inherit their collection

"What I like about drawing is its fragility", continues Louis-Antoine Prat. "I'm always asked for the design I prefer, and I say it's the next one, the one I don't have yet." If the couple of collectors is ready to pay up to 100,000 euros to acquire a drawing, this Prat Collection will be destined for a museum when they are no longer there to enrich it. "One of my friends said that any work of art in a chest is a crime, and I agree with that," concludes Louis-Antoine Prat, whose collection can be visited until October 4 next.

* Exhibition "La Force du dessin" at the Petit Palais, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, from June 16 to October 4