Recreating Lost Studios of 19th-Century Women Sculptors with Prune Nourry and Google AI

Introduction and Exhibition Overview

Artist Prune Nourry and Google Arts & Culture have partnered to honor 18 overlooked female sculptors in a new exhibition titled "Visionaries" at the Petit Palais in Paris. The project highlights how women were historically erased from the art world and features monumental plaster portraits sculpted by Nourry. The exhibition coincides with Art Basel Paris and is scheduled to run from October 20, 2026, through January 30, 2027.

Historical Context and Research

Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, talented female sculptors lived and worked across Paris despite social constraints and limited access to artistic training. While these pioneers made their mark in a predominantly male art world, they were historically pushed into the background, often appearing in art history only as models or muses rather than active artists. To uncover these hidden creative lives, three art historians spent a year gathering archival letters, journals, and photographic portraits.

Role of Google AI and Generative Technology

Because few historical photos of the actual workspaces of these women exist, Lynn Cherny, a creative technologist-in-residence at the Google Arts & Culture Lab, utilized Google's generative AI and image editing models. Working in collaboration with Nourry, film director Vincent Lorca, and researchers, the team used a custom tool built with Google Gemini to transform archival photos into 3D models. This technology animated camera paths, allowing viewers to virtually walk through the historical studios of sculptors such as Nancy Elizabeth Prophet, Jane Poupelet, and Camille Claudel.

Documentary Film and Visual Demonstrations

Nourry, Google Arts & Culture, and director Vincent Lorca also created a 10-minute documentary film that is presented alongside the exhibition in the museum galleries, with a behind-the-scenes trailer available online. In one sequence conceived by Nourry and Lorca, AI image editing is used on an archival photograph of Antoine Bourdelle’s studio to make female students slowly fade away, leaving only the men. This visual demonstration highlights the historical erasure of women from the art world.