In the early 19th century, Frédéric Chopin, George Sand, Ary Scheffer, and Eugène Delacroix lived in close proximity in the Parisian district of New Athens (Nouvelle Athènes). More than neighbours, they became friends, collaborators, and sources of mutual inspiration.
At the heart of this artistic circle was Ary Scheffer’s studio on rue Chaptal, now home to the Museum of Romantic Life in Paris. It was here that music, art, and literature converged.
This intimate world of French Romanticism has now been brought to life at the Frédéric Chopin Museum in Warsaw through the exhibition Romantic Life. Chopin, Scheffer, Delacroix, Sand, curated by Seweryn Kuter and Urszula Król. According to its creators, the exhibition is a story not only about art and music, but also about friendship, emotion, and memory.
On display are 59 objects on loan from the Museum of Romantic Life in Paris, divided into four thematic sections:
The Chopin experience
Visitors to the exhibition are transported to the estate of George Sand, Frédéric Chopin’s partner, in Nantes, according to Dr. Artur Szklener, director of the Frédéric Chopin Institute and curator of the exhibition’s musical component.
The experience is designed to evoke the atmosphere of Chopin’s creative world — as if, from another room, one can hear the ever-present sound of the composer tirelessly at work.
“From the very beginning, we intended for the musical element to be more than just background — it is one of the central narratives of the exhibition,” explains Dr. Artur Szklener, director of the Frédéric Chopin Institute.
“In terms of the acoustic dimension, we were inspired by a letter from Eugène Delacroix, who described his stay at George Sand’s estate in Nantes. He wrote of the exceptional hospitality of his hosts and the daily delight of hearing Frédéric Chopin’s music drifting through the windows — Chopin, constantly at work, creating beauty without pause.”
He adds: “Such an extraordinary accumulation of almost symbolic objects — and assembling them into different kinds of narratives — is truly a remarkable undertaking and a great adventure.”
The exhibition brings together 59 carefully selected objects on loan from the permanent collection of the Museum of Romantic Life in Paris, divided into four thematic sections.
The first is titled “Ary Scheffer’s Atelier,” a space where all the key figures of the exhibition converge. It features paintings by Scheffer himself, alongside works by his contemporaries and close friends. This is where the story begins.
“Ary Scheffer was a Dutch painter who lived in Paris, and from 1830 to 1858, his home was what is now the Museum of Romantic Life,” explains Gaëlle Rio of the Paris Museum. “Scheffer was a close friend of both Frédéric Chopin and George Sand. The couple lived nearby, and his salon became a gathering place for artists, musicians, and writers of the Romantic era.”
The second section of the exhibition is titled “Romantic Themes.”
“We wanted to show that certain motifs in Romantic art—whether in music, literature, or visual arts—are shared across cultures,” explains Urszula Król, co-curator of the exhibition.
“These themes appear in Polish, French, and German art alike. They reveal the common heroes, genres, and emotions that define Romanticism,” says Król. “At the very heart of these themes is the ballad—found in literature, in painting, and of course, in music. And here, visitors will encounter the ballads of Frédéric Chopin.”
The third part of the exhibition focuses on the social circle of George Sand and Frédéric Chopin, offering insight into their friendships and artistic exchanges. The close relationship between Sand and Chopin lies at the heart of this section—a subject as complex as it is captivating, filled with creative inspiration, emotional intensity, and the influence of a remarkable network of friends and fellow artists.
The next section, one that holds deep emotional significance for the curators, is titled “Souvenirs.”
“These are objects created to remember friends and loved ones — to ensure that death and the passing of time do not erase them from memory,” explains Urszula Król.
“Sometimes these mementos surprise us — with their unusual forms or the materials from which they’re made — but their purpose is always the same: to make memory endure, to preserve friendship and love beyond the span of a human life.”
The exhibition concludes with a section devoted to “Small Sculptures,” a genre immensely popular during Chopin’s time.
“These objects reflect the artistic sensibilities of the era — what people admired, what they collected, and the kind of aesthetic world they wanted to surround themselves with,” say the curators.
“Thanks to the richness and quality of these collections, I hope we’ve managed — even just a little — to immerse visitors in the spirit of the ‘New Athens’: the vibrant world of French Romanticism and the extraordinary relationships between painters, writers, and composers,” says co-curator Seweryn Kuter.
Kuter adds: “If you find yourself drawn into that world, even briefly, we’ll consider the exhibition a success.”