Image: Anonymous, François-Joseph Talma, jeune. © GrandPalaisRmn (musée des châteaux de Malmaison et de Bois-Préau) / Franck Raux
From 14 October to 9 November 2026, the Château de Malmaison is showing a temporary display devoted to the actor François-Joseph Talma (1763–1826), marking the bicentenary of his death. The selection brings together works that have just returned from the Maison Bonaparte in Ajaccio, where they had been lent for the exhibition ‘Talma et Napoléon’. Installed in the Emperor’s bedroom on the château’s first floor, the display traces the unusual bond between the tragedian and Napoleon, who shared a strong interest in the theatre.
Talma’s career took off during the Revolution. According to the museum, his acting gave new life to tragedy, and his reputation soon reached well beyond the stage. Napoleon, a keen admirer of theatre and of the tragic repertoire in particular, kept up a relationship with the actor that was both artistic and personal. Talma became a regular presence in Napoleon’s circle, and the two men’s lives remained linked through the end of the Empire and afterwards.
The Ajaccio exhibition, organized by the Maison Bonaparte in partnership with the Comédie-Française and shown there until 30 September, examined the place of theatre between the Revolution and the Empire and its role in shaping the image of consular and imperial power. Its route through some forty paintings, drawings, prints, decorative objects, books and manuscripts was drawn from the collections of Malmaison and the Maison Bonaparte, with loans from the Comédie-Française and other lenders, and followed Talma’s major roles in both the classical and contemporary repertoire.
The Malmaison display belongs to the 2026 national commemorations led by France Mémoire, and the museum has scheduled several related events. On 19 October at the Institut de France, Vivien Richard, heritage curator at the museum and curator of the Ajaccio exhibition, will discuss its catalogue with Mara Fazio, professor of theatre history at Sapienza University of Rome and author of a biography of Talma.
An evening programme at the château on 20 October opens with two talks: Richard on three decades of loyalty and legend between Napoleon and Talma, and Florence Filippi of the University of Rouen on how Talma moved from crafting characters to building a public persona, tracing what the museum calls the invention of stardom. A presentation of the display follows, and the evening ends in the music room with readings led by Marcus Borja from literary texts and letters by Talma and his contemporaries.
