Louvre brings Michelangelo, Rodin together in landmark exhibition

The Louvre has unveiled the Michelangelo and Rodin - Living Bodies exhibition, bringing together more than 200 sculptures, drawings and models by the two masters of Western sculpture. Both Michelangelo and Auguste Rodin placed the human body at the centre of their work, treating it as something alive and driven by a powerful inner force. Their creations, celebrating both physical strength and emotional depth, are presented together at the Louvre for the first time. The exhibition traces connections between the artists while acknowledging the clear differences in their approaches. PHOTO: Artprice The show is organised into five sections: myth, nature, antiquity, non finito, body and soul, and energy. Together, the themes guide visitors through a journey that creates a dialogue between Renaissance art and modern expression, moving from Michelangelo’s marble masterpieces to Rodin’s expressive sculptural fragments. The Louvre notes that “the exhibition associates marble, bronze, plaster, terracotta and cast works with a rich pictorial production”, a combination that highlights shared artistic concerns around form and meaning. Throughout the exhibition, the body is presented as a living form that carries the soul, changing over time and movement. It also explores how motion has been presented in sculpture across history, raising questions about how the revival of ancient styles and depictions of the human figure helped shape artistic ideas that later influenced divisions in the 20th century. The exhibit, open to the public from April 15 to July 20, is curated by Chloé Ariot, the heritage curator for Musée Rodin and Marc Bormand, senior heritage curator in the Department of Sculptures at the Louvre.