The Count of Artois, prince and patron: an exhibition at the Château de Maisons

From November 14 to March 2, 2026, the Chateau de Maisons offers an exhibition dedicated to the Count of Artois, brother of Louis XVI and last sovereign of the elder branch of the Bourbons known as Charles X. The journey covers all his youth, from his birth until his departure into exile in 1789.

The exhibition reveals his personality, lifestyle, tastes and patronage. It notably looks back at the acquisition of the Château de Maisons in 1777 and highlights the spectacular project he entrusted to his architect François-Joseph Bélanger: imagining an immense hunting estate linking Maisons to the Château de Bagatelle, built the same year in just 64 days, following a bet launched by Queen Marie-Antoinette.

Thanks to a partnership with the Palace of Versailles and numerous institutional loans, more than a hundred works illustrate the refined tastes of the prince. Among the remarkable pieces, the Mansart Foundation lends for the first time a royal armchair from the Louis XIV era, coming from the cabinetmaking ensembles of the Comte d'Artois for his bathroom cabinet in Bagatelle, as well as a portrait of the young Comte d'Artois. These works will then join the permanent collections of the castle of Bagatelle, currently under restoration, during its reopening to the public.