The other Corneille: rediscover Thomas!
If history has immortalized Pierre Corneille, illustrious author of Le Cid, his brother Thomas remains in the shadows? wrongly so. And yet, it was he who wrote the most performed play of the 17th century: Timocrate! On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of his birth, a unique exhibition invites you to discover this little-known talent, prolific playwright, fine stylist and man of letters of his time.
Trained like his brother at the Collège de Bourbon in Rouen, Thomas Corneille shared much more than just a name: the same studies, the same passion for theater, the same family and intellectual circles. Over nearly half a century, he composed 44 plays, brilliantly exploring both comedy and tragedy, with a keen sense of dramaturgy? and a dash of humor to boot!
So why did Thomas, adulated in his own lifetime, fall into oblivion, while Pierre remains an indisputable figure? This fascinating exhibition lifts the veil on an intriguing sibling relationship, between rivalry, complicity and mutual inspiration.
Manuscripts, portraits, rare editions and period objects take you into the teeming world of this forgotten Corneille. A well-deserved tribute to a genius too long in the shadows.
A not-to-be-missed exhibition to rediscover an author who, four centuries later, still has much to say.
If history has immortalized Pierre Corneille, illustrious author of Le Cid, his brother Thomas remains in the shadows? wrongly so. And yet, it was he who wrote the most performed play of the 17th century: Timocrate! On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of his birth, a unique exhibition invites you to discover this little-known talent, prolific playwright, fine stylist and man of letters of his time.
Trained like his brother at the Collège de Bourbon in Rouen, Thomas Corneille shared much more than just a name: the same studies, the same passion for theater, the same family and intellectual circles. Over nearly half a century, he composed 44 plays, brilliantly exploring both comedy and tragedy, with a keen sense of dramaturgy? and a dash of humor to boot!
So why did Thomas, adulated in his own lifetime, fall into oblivion, while Pierre remains an indisputable figure? This fascinating exhibition lifts the veil on an intriguing sibling relationship, between rivalry, complicity and mutual inspiration.
Manuscripts, portraits, rare editions and period objects take you into the teeming world of this forgotten Corneille. A well-deserved tribute to a genius too long in the shadows.
A not-to-be-missed exhibition to rediscover an author who, four centuries later, still has much to say.
