Borghese Ares, 1st – 2nd century AD
The Louvre Greek galleries have reopened after redevelopment to proudly exhibit classical Greek and Hellenistic sculpture. In the north gallery, art, artifacts and sculpture are displayed alongside maps that lay down the broad parameters of the ancient Greek world. In the south gallery heroes and Gods of mythology stand [...]
Cy Twombly’s ceiling, Louvre
The Louvre yesterday unveiled the newest contribution to its collections: a ceiling painting by contemporary artist, Cy Twombly. The painting is in the Salles des Bronzes, housing classical bronzes. Predominantly blue, it is reminiscent of Renaissance and Baroque ceilings depicting the heavenly skies, albeit in a more paired down aesthetic.
Twombly, American-born but residing [...]
Henri Mauperché, Landscape, 1686
There seems to be a bit of a thing for French academic art in exhibitions at the moment. Souvenirs d’Italie (“Memories of Italy”) is a small exhibition exploring the Italian landscape in French art between 1600 and 1850.
Italy loomed large in the French imagination and Rome in particular was a destination for [...]
Joseph Kosuth, ni apparence ni illusion, installation view
© Louvre 2009 / Antoine Mongodin
Contemporary artist, Joseph Kosuth, is the latest to bring a touch of contemporary to the hallowed walls of the Louvre. After Jan Fabre’s intervention amongst the Northern paintings last year, Kosuth has chosen the medieval foundations for his installation of neon messages. Fifteen verbal meditations [...]
La Description d’Egypte is a small show next to the hugely over-the-top tomb of Napoleon (ridiculous considering he was such a small man) under the dome of Invalides. Celebrating 200 years since the publication, the exhibition displays engravings from the great book, La Description d’Egypte, a result of Napoleon’s expedition to Egypte (1798 – 1801). [...]
To inaugurate the opening of the newly restored Frigidarium (bathing house) of the Musée Cluny Le bain et le miroir takes us on a scientific, archaeological and aesthetic journey through bathing and beautifying rituals of antiquity and the middle ages.
In the space of the frigidarium, glass cases display artifacts from antiquity – mirrors, make-up boxes, [...]