Adrienne de La Fayette: A Woman at the Heart of Two Revolutions

Join us for a special conference with French historian Vincent Bouat-Ferlier, marking the launch of a unique exhibition in our gallery, curated by the Chambrun Foundation and dedicated to Adrienne de La Fayette. Often overlooked in the story of Marquis de Lafayette, Adrienne emerges as an extraordinary figure whose life reveals the essential role of women at the heart of two revolutions.

In this conference, Vincent Bouat-Ferlier, Director of the Josée and René de Chambrun Foundation, brings renewed attention to Adrienne’s remarkable life and legacy. Too often remembered only as Lafayette’s wife, she was in fact a woman of extraordinary courage and conviction. During the French Revolution, she endured imprisonment, the loss of close family members, and chose to join her husband in captivity. At the same time, she managed family estates, defended religious and moral principles, and supported causes such as the abolitionist movement. Her life stands as a testament to a form of political agency rarely recognized in women of her time.

The conference is accompanied by a special exhibition in our gallery, offering a visual and narrative journey through Adrienne’s life and the transatlantic legacy of the La Fayette family. Through a series of thematic panels, the exhibition traces her path from Adrienne de Noailles to a central yet overlooked figure of the revolutionary era, shedding new light on a woman whose story deserves to be rediscovered.

The evening will conclude with a Q&A session, followed by a reception.