With the famous Roman statue of Aphrodite found in Arles in 1651 as its epicenter, the exhibition Le passage de Vénus explores the enduring power of myth. It weaves an unprecedented dialogue between works from antiquity and those of modern and contemporary artists, revealing the extent to which the empire of Venus endures, inspires and reinvents itself. While the dazzling appearance of Aphrodite – Venus – in the history of forms has fueled centuries of commentary and artistic creation, today’s exhibition gives new resonance to the stories she embodies: stories of desire, power and beauty, but also of freedom and emancipation.
Exceptionally loaned by the Louvre to the Musée Départemental Arles Antique, surrounded by a procession of major works, the “Venus of Arles” returns for the first time since 2013 to the place where it was first discovered. This imposing and magnificent Roman marble from the first century BC, inspired by a Greek model, was offered to Louis XIV by the town of Arles, and was first kept at Versailles before joining the national collections at the Louvre. Today, this universal ancient masterpiece is displayed in the same room as the Venus de Milo, where it is admired by millions of visitors from all over the world.
