Centre Pompidou-Metz "Les Copistes" from 14 June to 2 February 2026
"From 14 June 2025 to 2 February 2026, in an exceptional collaboration with the Musée du Louvre, the Centre Pompidou-Metz will be presenting an unusual exhibition dedicated to the creativity of copyists. Copying was central to the classical tradition. Copying the works of great artists is a tool for learning about the canons, techniques and stories. Absorbing their expertise and adopting their mastery is a pathway to knowledge and artistic creation, from the most academic to the most contemporary.
A number of artists have received the following invitation from the two curators: ‘Imagine a copy of a work of your choosing from the collections of the Musée du Louvre.’" quoted from the Pompidou-Metz website.
Georges Adéagbo chose: Portrait d’une femme noire (1800) de Marie-Guillemine Benoist, and four paintings by Eugène Delacroix: Liberté guidant le peuple (1830); Scènes des massacres de Scio (1824); Mort de Sardanapale (1819); Les femmes d’Alger dans leur appartement (1834). He asked Benoît Adanhoumè who paints for Adéagbo sind 2011 illustrations, copied them. They were mounted on a canvas 225 x 307 cm painted the same red as the walls of the Salle Denon in the Louvre. Adéagbo composed two texts to contextualize his choice, and placed a dozen of books, masks and statues on a ledge below the painting. The title of the installation is: LOUVRE REMIX.
