Cimabue and Couture Intersect at the Louvre

This winter, two landmark exhibitions have opened at the Louvre creating throughlines and connections between art from the Proto-Renaissance to the modern day. The first, Revoir Cimabue, is curated by Thomas Bohl and brings together some forty works by the 13th-century Italian master and his contemporaries. The second, Louvre Couture, curated by Olivier Gabet, stands at the intersection of art and fashion, and traces the museum’s influence on the world of style.

Revoir Cimabue is the Louvre’s first exhibition dedicated to the artist, recontextualizing his oeuvre through the lens of modern discoveries and restorations. Two recent developments serve as centerpieces to the show: the restoration of the Maestà, Cimabue’s chef-d’oeuvre and one of the masterpieces of the Museum’s permanent collection; as well as the acquisition of the previously unknown panel, Christ Mocked, which was rediscovered in France in 2019 and declared as a French National Treasure. Both restoration and acquisition were made possible by the extraordinary generosity of AFL donors Harry and Linda Fath.

Cimabue’s work introduced naturalistic representation of the human body, three-dimensional perspective, and psychological subtlety into traditional religious scenes. Building on Byzantine art tradition, he paved the way for masters to come, from Giotto to Duccio, signaling the rise of humanism in the Italian quattrocento and beyond. To that end, the exhibition concludes with another Louvre masterpiece painted by Cimabue’s most renowned disciple—Giotto’s St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata—emphasizing Cimabue’s enduring impact on Italian art.

As the first fashion show in the museum’s 231-year history, Louvre Couture has made history in its own right. The exhibition tracks the influence of decorative arts on the world of fashion. Forty-five fashion houses and designers—from Cristóbal Balenciaga to Thom Browne, Dior to Chanel—have lent the museum 100 ensembles and accessories, dating from 1960 to 2025. They are installed throughout the Department of Decorative Arts, and paired with objects as diverse as medieval armor, ivory figurines, tapestries, and furniture. Louvre Couture offers a new perspective on decorative arts through the prism of contemporary fashion design and encourages new understandings of couture at the same time.

Revoir Cimabue is on view through May 12, 2025 and Louvre Couture is on view through July 21, 2025.