The Louvre is presenting a large-scale exhibition of the work of Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto (b. 1933, Biella), accompanied by a program of encounters, theater performances and activities for the public in the Tuileries Gardens and elsewhere.
Titled «Année 1, le paradis sur terre» («Year 1: Earthly Paradise»), the exhibition marks the transition into the new era of human, social, and cultural metamorphosis that was celebrated all over the world, including on the esplanade of the Louvre's Cour Napoléon, on December 21, 2012, the Rebirth-day.
The exhibition embodies three different time frames: the past, in the context of a retrospective; the present seen in the mirror works reflecting the visitors; and the future in a great obelisk topped with a triple loop, a symbol of this ongoing revolution. Thus the sign of the "third paradise" adorns the pyramid.
The artist's historical works echo the Italian paintings and the Roman and Greek statues, while other more recent pieces—mirrors and installations—lead the visitor from the Salle des Sept Cheminées to the Cour Marly, via the medieval section of the Louvre.
Spirituality, figuration, the breaking down of boundaries between the arts, social solidarity, and the merging of life and art: these are the themes permeating the thinking of Michelangelo Pistoletto, the founder of Cittadellarte.

Curated by Marie-Laure Bernadac, assisted by Pauline Guélaud.

www.pistoletto.it