A dream trip to Mesopotamia thanks to Louvre Lens

parisdiaArt, Restaurants & Hotels1 Comment

Villot Frédéric (1809-1875). Paris, musée du Louvre. RF1962-26.

Frédéric Villot, The Death of Sardanapalus (copy after the painting by Eugène Delacroix) 1844, © RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Jean-Gilles Berizzi.

You must be wondering why I so often want to send you to Lens, a mining town two hours north of Paris ? The antenna of the Louvre which opened there four years ago (on December 4, 2012) offers the most lively and beautifully set exhibitions and it is a precious experience to move through the SANAA designed glass building. This new show « History starts in Mesopotamia » is so important historically and artistically in our troubled times, that President Hollande made the short trip to Lens for the inauguration.

Ebih-Il praying Tell Hariri (formerly Mari), temple of Ishtar, circa 2340 BCE Alabaster, shell, lapis lazuli, and bitumen © Musée du Louvre, photo Raphaël Chipault.

Ebih-Il praying Tell Hariri (formerly Mari), temple of Ishtar, circa 2340 BCE Alabaster, shell, lapis lazuli, and bitumen © Musée du Louvre, photo Raphaël Chipault.

« Located between two rivers », the Tiger and the Euphrates, is what Mesopotamia means in ancient greek, a large country part of today’s Irak. The show well designed by Véronique Dollfus and Claire Boitel, is a striking illustration of how influential this part of the world was between 3 200 and 331 bc, when Alexander the Great conquered it and imposed hellenistic rules.

Sumerian type chariot, Musée du Louvre

Sumerian type chariot, Musée du Louvre, the wheel was invented in Mesopotamia

Four hundreds works of art illustrate places that Voltaire, Lord Byron and Eugène Delacroix admired. From the invention of writing in 4 000 bc to modern urbanism and irrigation systems, the first design of a bridge, the invention of the wheel and the aesthetics of gardens in Babylon, Mesopotamia has nourished our imagination for ever. The primary source is of course the Bible, but it is fascinating to discover all these artistic remains from the cradle of our civilisation.

Brick panel decorating the Processional Way at Babylon: striding lion, (605–562 BCE), © RMN-Grand Palais, Stéphane Olivier

Brick panel decorating the Processional Way at Babylon: striding lion, (605–562 BCE), © RMN-Grand Palais, Stéphane Olivier

Largely based on the collections of the Louvre, but also with objects borrowed from the British museum and the Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin, the exhibition is fun for its variety of artworks ranging from painted and glazed brick walls, numerous sculptures and stellae covered in cuneiform writing.
And if you have lunch at the museum restaurant, Atelier Marc Meurin, where the young chef Antoine Leprince reigns, your day will be perfect. There are daily menus (between 32 and 66€) and a sophisticated carte. It is essential to book.

Alexander the Great put an end to Mesopotamia's empire

Posthumous Egyptian portrait of Alexander the Great who put an end to Mesopotamia’s empire, marble circa 300 to 160 bc,© Musée du Louvre, photo Daniel Lebée / Carine Déambrosis

Until January 23, Louvre Lens is closed on Tuesdays

Share this Post

One Comment on “A dream trip to Mesopotamia thanks to Louvre Lens”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *