The Villa on Paper project examines the idea of engraving as a medium that democratizes access to culture and the arts. Printmaking, which produces multiple copies of the same image, often occupies a secondary position in museums and exhibitions in comparison to painting or drawing, which produce unique works. The exhibitions in the Villa on Paper project seek to go against this common judgment by showcasing a collection of prints in a new light. The aim is to explore a print cabinet's artistic and cultural mediation potential in a 21st century art museum setting.

The project includes the restoration and scientific study of the collection. The thousand or so prints in the Betz collection will be restored in stages, while the collection will be inventoried and scientifically documented. A series of small-format exhibitions will present different thematic selections from among the vast collection.

Animals in Print - 14 July to 14 January 2024 at the Villa Vauban in Luxembourg

The first temporary exhibition of some sixty prints focuses on the representation of animals in graphic art from the 17th to the 19th century:

"Driven by a scientific interest in the animal world, the artists of the Dutch “Golden Age” tried to depict animals as lifelike as possible. In the exhibition, numerous prints by Paulus Potter (1625–1654), Nicolaes Visscher I (1618–1679), Karel Dujardin (1622–1678) and Adriaen van de Velde (1636–1672), among others, mainly show domestic animals: cattle, horses, goats and sheep. Works by Pieter Gerardus van Os (1776–1839) illustrate the extent to which the 17th century influenced the depictions of animals by later engravers." - source Villa Vauban

Adam von Bartsch (1757-1821) after Johan Heinrich Roos (1631-1685).

Vache debout dans un paysage, 1805. Engraving (eau forte). Villa Vauban - Musée d’Art de la Ville de Luxembourg