Love, the most fundamental of human emotions, has perhaps been one of the most fundamental themes in Western art since ancient times. In paintings depicting the Greco-Roman myths and genre paintings depicting daily life, love took various forms in scenes representing gods and people longing for that someone special, illustrated by passion, desire, and sensual pleasure, and even anguish and sorrow. In contrast, Christian religious art gave believers images of the Holy Family, depictions of the Crucifixion of Jesus, and scenes capturing the martyrdom of saints, thereby embodying themes revolving around God’s unconditional love for humanity or the love for God reciprocated by the faithful.

This exhibition will show how Western artists have portrayed love in its many forms through 73 paintings carefully selected from the vast collections of the Musée du Louvre. We invite you on a tour of passionate expressions of love gathered from masterpieces by the leading Western artists, from the 16th century to mid-19th century.