rétrospective

Rétrospective is a French noun meaning a survey of an artist's body of work, usually presented as a major exhibition or a compilation. In practice, it describes a career-spanning overview that includes several works from different periods, sometimes with rare pieces and with contextual materials. The aim is to show the development of style, themes, and technique, and to situate the works within the artist's overall career and within historical movements. Exhibitions are often curated by museums, galleries, or film institutions and may travel to multiple venues. They are typically accompanied by a publication featuring essays and reproductions, and may include archival items such as preparatory sketches, letters, or photographs.

Etymology and usage: the term combines the Latin prefix retro- ("back") with spectare ("to look"), rendered into French as rétrospective. The feminine noun une rétrospective is used to refer to a retrospective exhibition or survey. In English-language contexts the cognate term retrospective is used for similar purposes in art and film; outside of the arts, the English word has other senses such as a post-project review in software development or organizational work. In French, those non-art uses are less common and would typically be expressed with different phrasing.

See also: exposition rétrospective; film retrospective; art exhibition.