Salomé Exhibition: Henner and Moreau Confront the Myth — an Artistic Dialogue at the Jean-Jacques Henner Museum

The Jean-Jacques Henner Museum brings together two painters in a captivating dialogue with its latest exhibition, "Salomé. Henner and Moreau Confront the Myth," running from February 18 to June 22, 2026.

In the Bible, Salomé is portrayed as a young girl full of grace and beauty, enchanting men with her dance. Artists see her as a temptress, a symbol of sensual femininity that can lead men astray. By the end of the 19th century, Salomé had become a central figure across a wide array of artworks: paintings, operas, poems, sculptures, stories, plays, and ballets. European artists drew inspiration from this mythic character and depicted her in countless forms. Her image appears in the works of Oscar Wilde, Mallarmé, Flaubert, and Richard Strauss...

For Gustave Moreau, Salomé was an obsession that consumed him for over 20 years. With Jean-Jacques Henner, it’s a that he worked on late into his life. The Jean-Jacques Henner Museum brings these two master artists into conversation, displaying their works side by side in a compelling exhibition-catalog running from February 18 to June 22, 2026.

Entitled Salomé. Henner and Moreau Confront the Myth, this exhibition features a diverse collection of paintings, sketches, notebooks, and rough drafts that explore the story of Salomé. Visitors can admire around thirty works, all centered around this common theme. For the first time, these two painters—who were contemporaries—stand face-to-face on the same subject, highlighting their contrasting styles and interpretations.

At Moreau, Salomé is depicted dramatically as a true princess, adorned with gold jewelry, luxurious garments, and delicate veils. She is brought to life in settings that evoke grand palaces, with intricately detailed backdrops. Moreau created dozens of paintings and drawings, exploring various interpretations of the same scene. His focus is on the dance of this 'temptress,' highlighting the role of the other characters in the story.

The paintings by Henner are much darker and more subdued. Salomé wears simple, more modern dresses with bold colors. She gazes intently at the viewer, her expression somber and calculating. The severed head of Saint John the Baptist is hinted at by a tray placed beside the woman. Her long hair flows freely, and the neutral background accentuates her figure. On one side, a delicate princess; on the other, a dangerous female seductress...

In their own distinctive ways, both artists delve into this iconic figure. Their paintings also reflect their unique worlds—how they interpret art, the human form, and femininity. The sketches reveal their creative processes, illustrating how Henner and Moreau emphasize line, color, or the realism of the body...

This exhibition is quite concise, spread across two rooms in the museum. All the works depict Salome—either drawn or painted by Moreau and Henner. The theme is compelling: through these few pieces, the exhibition explores the myth of the femme fatale and the 19th-century portrayal of women as seductresses. It also presents a striking juxtaposition between two very different painters, both in their personal lives and artistic styles.

Centered around this shared theme, the Jean-Jacques Henner Museum offers a fascinating dialogue between two 19th-century painters. The exhibition is set to open in the first half of 2026.

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