Tucked between white marble works of centuries past in the Louvre’s Cour Puget resides Jean Michel Othoniel’s La Rose du Louvre, a painting series that only just recently made its way into the historic halls of the Louvre’s permanent collection, in October 2019. Othoniel’s work was commissioned to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei’s Pyramid that stands at the entrance to the museum.
The old master Peter Paul Rubens served as Othoniel’s inspiration for the flower that he hoped would become a symbol of the heart of French artistic tradition. Rubens’ work Wedding of Marie de’ Medici to Henri IV provided the very floral motifs on which La Rose du Louvre is based. The abstract representation of a rose seen in each panel carries a dual symbolism for Othoniel. Floral imagery is often packed with symbolic potential, and Othoniel’s project taps into this meaning in an effort to illuminate the subtleties that flowers have to offer. The choice of the rose shows intentionality, as Othoniel associates “la reine des fleurs” with “le roi des musées.” Symbolic of the Louvre’s position of cultural power and explanatory of some of the stories held within the museum’s vast corners, La Rose du Louvre took very little time to transition between its first presentation on May 25, 2019 and its permanent induction some five months later. Visually, the work is also at home, as its black ink on gold leaf creates a pleasing aesthetic as the work is flanked by its sculptural neighbors. Othoniel expounded on the symbolism of flowers inherent in La Rose du Louvre with his accompanying text Herbier Merveilleux, or The Secret Language of Flowers. Owing to Othoniel’s artistic dedication to floral forms as well as the familiarity he gained with the Louvre while working as warden, the text is a guide to the intricate meanings found within the flowers of the Louvre.
Jean Michel Othoniel was born in 1964 in Saint Étienne. The Paris-based artist has worked extensively within a variety of mediums, from glass to drawing. Visible in the abstract flowers that comprise La Rose du Louvre is a distinctive style that has become the trademark of many of Othoniel’s works. Othoniel has found prior success in museum exhibitions as well as public spaces such as in his subway station transformation, Le Kiosque des Noctambules. His entry into the Louvre marks a further step in his artistic career, as well as a sign of the Louvre’s further, ongoing commitment to the contemporary art world and its inclusion within the museum.
References
Chan. “Jean-Michel Othoniel Decodes the Secret Language of Flowers in the Louvre’s Collections.” Wallpaper*, Wallpaper*, 21 June 2019, www.wallpaper.com/art/jean-michel-othoniel-louvre-museum-paris.
“La Rose Du Louvre, De Jean-Michel Othoniel Entre Dans Les Collections Du Musée Du Louvre.” Louvre, 3 Jan. 2020, presse.louvre.fr/emla-rose-du-louvre-embr-de-jean-michel-othonielbr-entre-dans-les-collections-du-musee-du-louvre/.
Uzik. “Biographie – Othoniel – Othoniel Studio.” Othoniel, 1 Jan. 2019, www.othoniel.fr/fr/othoniel/biographie.