Salomé: Henner and Moreau Confront the Myth

The Musée National Jean-Jacques Henner in Paris is hosting a focused exhibition exploring the iconographic myth of Salomé through the lenses of Jean-Jacques Henner and Gustave Moreau. The show examines how these two 19th-century masters interpreted the biblical figure who demanded the head of John the Baptist, contrasting their stylistic approaches to her seductive and fatal power. While the Gospels provide no physical description of Salomé, the exhibition highlights how these artists moved away from traditional fleshy depictions to create more ethereal, haunting versions of the femme fatale.

This exhibition is significant as it marks a rare thematic collaboration between two monographic museums dedicated to contemporary rivals of the Symbolist and Academic traditions. By juxtaposing Henner’s mysterious, sfumato-heavy portraits with Moreau’s intricate, jewel-like compositions, the show provides a deep dive into the 19th-century obsession with the 'femme fatale' archetype. It offers scholars and the public a nuanced look at how literary myths were visually constructed and transformed during the Fin de Siècle.