The Empire of Sleep

Curated by Laura Bossi, a neurologist and science historian, and Sylvie Carlier, director of the Musée Marmottan Monet collections, this exhibition explores the symbolic and allegorical implications of sleep, its importance in secular and sacred imagery, and the ways in which sleep-related scientific, philosophical and psychoanalytical research have influenced art.

The exhibition focuses on the 19th and 20th centuries, when ideas relating to sleep underwent major transformations. Artworks dating from 1800 – 1920 are shown together with significant works from Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the modern and contemporary eras in order to highlight certain key enduring themes: the sleep of the innocent, dreams in Bible stories, the ambivalence of the notion of sleep as it applies to both day-to-day rest and eternal rest, the Eros of the sleeping figure, and dreams and nightmares. The exhibition also deals with mesmerism and sleep disorders via medical images, and shows how certain artists embraced these subjects. Last but not least, a section of the show devoted to the bedroom highlights habits and customs connected to this highly symbolic space.

The exhibition includes The Poet's Dream by John Faed RSA, on loan from the RSA.

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Banner image: Musée Marmottan Monet