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Joseph Bonaparte
Dear Friend,

The subject of a 2005 State of the Arts documentary is in the news this week. Bonaparte's Retreat tells the story of the other Bonaparte—Joseph, Napoleon’s brother. Joseph, one of Napoleon's closest confidants, a key diplomat and King first of Naples, then Spain, escaped from Europe after Waterloo and settled in Bordentown, New Jersey. There he built a 38,000 square foot mansion on a bluff along the Delaware River filled with antiques, a vast library and masterworks of European art. Jacques Louis David's famous painting of Napoleon Crossing the Alps, now at the Louvre, hung in Joseph Bonaparte's estate in Bordentown for more than 20 years.
Napoleon Crossing the Alps, Jacques Louis David
Joseph's grand home was destroyed long ago and after a series of owners indifferent to its historical significance, the 60 acre estate was purchased by the Catholic Church and used as a retirement community for priests. This week the New York Times reports that the D&R Greenway Land Trust and the State of New Jersey will purchase the property and create a park and museum devoted to the life and legacy of Napoleon's older brother Joseph. The Times quotes two experts who also appear in our State of the Arts documentary: Patricia Tyson Stroud, author of The Man who had been King, and Peter Tucci, whose extensive collection of Bonaparte memorabilia will form the centerpiece of the new museum.
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The State of the Arts team
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