PORTLAND, OREGON.- The Portland Art Museum presents “17th Century Masterpieces from the Museums of FRAME (French Regional and American Museum Exchange),” on view through January 5, 2004. Making its world premiere, this exhibition of 41 stellar works, drawn from the French and American museums of FRAME, presents the very highest level of work from a century when painting emerged as one of the splendors of French culture. The Triumph of French Painting includes the best-known French painters of the age, including Georges de La Tour and Nicolas Poussin, alongside stunning masterworks by other artists who played vital roles in making Paris the world’s artistic center for centuries to come. The paintings in this exhibition offer an introduction to the power and range of the art form as it was developed first by the Church, addressing the emotional needs of society, and then by the state, enlisting artists in Louis XIV’s campaign of glory.

The opening of the exhibition in Portland this fall occurs on the fifth anniversary of FRAME. The consortium FRAME was conceived by Elizabeth Rohatyn as a component of the program of her husband Felix Rohatyn, who as U.S. Ambassador to France (1997- 2000) sought to extend exchanges beyond the capital cities. FRAME has become a beacon of bilateral cultural diplomacy, having brought together museum professionals from France and the United States to form joint projects and to share ideas. The organization has mounted three previous major exhibitions, but The Triumph of French Painting represents the first collaboration of all 18 member  museums in FRAME.

The exhibition was organized by the Portland Art Museum and supported by FRAME.