Louvre-Lens Reopens its Galerie du Temps with a Model-New Rehang 

Have you ever ever heard of, and even been to Lens earlier than? This small coal city in northern France was lively from 1849 to 1986, when its final mine was shut down. Then, in 2012, after the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Mining Basin grew to become a UNESCO World Heritage web site, the French Ministry of Tradition moved to revive the area with a satellite tv for pc Louvre museum, drawing inspiration from the financial transformation of the economic metropolis of Bilbao, Spain, which has been residence to a Guggenheim satellite tv for pc since 1997. And so, the Louvre-Lens was born, with non permanent exhibition galleries and its emblematic Galerie du Temps (Gallery of Time), a 32,000 square-foot open area reserved for some 200 loans from its Parisian large brother.

After over a decade of success, museum officers determined to rethink the Louvre-Lens’ flagship gallery and to welcome new works from the Louvre.

“The concept was to maintain innovating, in addition to the preliminary promise to let the general public transfer round freely and to not prioritize any medium or civilization within the show,” Louvre-Lens director Annabelle Ténèze informed ARTnews. As a result of the works stand individually—like sculptures that may be approached from varied angles—some have in contrast the Galerie du Temps to the São Paulo Museum of Artwork’s historic show of glass easel. Ténèze squeezed in an allusion to the Guggenheim in New York, which additionally values the free circulate of individuals.

One of many new additions seems earlier than one even enters the SANAA-designed constructing, a Niki de Saint Phalle obelisk. The brand new work is a nod to the rehang inside. “This floral sculpture connects our park—courtesy of panorama designer Catherine Mosbach—to Arcimboldo’s 4 Seasons (1563-73), which has just lately been restored,” mentioned Ténèze.

The overpaints within the Arcimboldo collection seemed to be newer, to not say much less vital than suspected, which gave restorers the chance to take away them. Now, there’s not one flower lacking in Spring’s hair, and all of Meissen’s coats of arms function in Winter.

The Galerie du Temps’s show is, by definition, chronological, however the rehang focuses on varied themes, together with self-expression and dwelling issues. In his time, Arcimboldo turned greens and fruits into figurative portraits. The animal and human meets in the meantime within the 4th century BCE work Allée des sphinx (Sphinx Alley).

“Additionally, a few of the supplies offered right here, reminiscent of wooden, are created from dwelling issues. I hope guests notice that whereas strolling round,”mentioned Ténèze, who added that she wished Théodore Rousseau’s Fringe of the Forest at Fontainebleau to conclude the general public’s stroll. “He’s the primary eco-friendly painter, who dreamed of creating an inventive reserve out of a forest.”

The Rousseau portray hangs subsequent to a timeless, virtually futuristic panorama by Eva Nielsen (b. 1983). The juxtaposition factors to the rising presence of up to date artwork all through the Galerie du Temps.

“The Galerie doesn’t want up to date artists to be up to date; it has written itself into our current. Nonetheless, these up to date artists invite us to take a look at the previous by means of their very own eyes,” mentioned Ténèze, who finds amusement in the truth that some latest works may simply move for older items. Jean Claracq’s Monument 1 (2024) is a living proof. Till you discover the soccer participant on prime, the fountain-sculpture seems prefer it might be from the fifteenth century, just like the griffin-shaped aquamanile that lies subsequent to it.

Just a few variations might be famous between the preliminary show within the Galerie du Temps, initially designed with the assistance of Studio Adrien Gardère, and the rehang imagined in collaboration with the AtoY company, whose mission, titled “Fleuve du Temps” (River of Time), aptly meanders from the 4th millennium B.C to the nineteenth century. The previous presentation included clusters of works sharing a typical podium. Now, each work stands or hangs individually for every customer to understand totally. “It looks like the gallery had extra of a Greek and Roman contact, and that there’s presently one thing extra Oriental or Egyptian about it,” Ténèze mentioned.

With test-groups known as out to evaluate exhibitions within the making, the Louvre-Lens has labored to determine itself as one of the inclusive museums in France. “Now we have our non permanent shows evaluated by the general public forward of their inaugurations, why not apply the identical technique to our everlasting collections?” Ténèze mentioned of her pondering whereas engaged on the brand new Galerie du Temps. The dimensions, inclination, and top of wall texts have been reviewed based mostly on what a contented few needed to say about it. A broad cross-section of individuals —200 adults, kids, individuals with disabilities, regulars, and new-comers — had been assigned to co-write captions.

“On the Louvre-Lens, something is feasible. You by no means actually know what you’re going to do there, however you recognize it’s going to be extraordinary,” mentioned Micheline, an area resident who lives close to the museum and exhibits up at any time when she is required. This time, it was to assist compose texts utilizing the Simple Learn technique, a manner of presenting textual content in an accessible, easy-to-understand format. Engaged on Ferdinand Bol’s 1658 Portrait of a Mathematician was in all probability, to her, essentially the most difficult. Loads of analysis went into decrypting the character’s equation on the black board.

Not like her, Karl, one other native, had by no means set foot within the Louvre-Lens earlier than a good friend launched him to the Fleuve du Temps mission. “Now, I see artwork with brand-new eyes,” he informed ARTnews. “I may even relate to Auguste Dumont’s Genius of Liberty, which tells a part of my life story.” The nineteenth century statue options an angel holding damaged chains, a logo of freedom, in a single hand. Choreographer Sylvain Groud invited the brand new provoke and his group to bop round a number of works. The steps and strikes that all of them got here up with have been transcribed into illustrated captions, in order that the general public can attempt them freely within the gallery.

Dance on!