Treasures from France’s Seven Major Museums, Including the Louvre, Come to Taiwan to Celebrate Millennia-Old Greek Mythology

Written/Compiled and Reported by Li Xinyi

After an eight-year hiatus, treasures from the Louvre are once again on display in Taiwan, centered around the millennia-old tales of Greek mythology. The exhibition features a total of 100 pieces, including paintings, sculptures, and pottery, from the collections of seven major French museums, with a combined insured value exceeding NT$3.3 billion. Tickets are now on sale at Uni-President convenience stores and the Books.com.tw ticketing system. Early bird discounts offer buy-one-get-one-half-price for two-person tickets (two-person set ticket for NT$420, originally NT$560), starting today (the 28th).

The “Western Myths and Legends – Treasures from the Louvre Exhibition” is primarily curated by the Musée du Louvre in France. In addition to the Louvre’s own collection, the exhibition also includes treasures from seven other museums: the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tours, the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon, the Musée de l’Hospice d’Issenheim, the Musée Ingres, the Musée André Diligent – Arts et Industries, the Palace of Versailles, and the Palace of Trianon National Museum. The exhibits range from frescoes of Pompeii to masterpieces from the 16th to 19th centuries by renowned artists such as Boucher, David, Ingres, and Canova, as well as ancient Greek pottery and other fine artworks.

To understand the art of ancient Greeks, one must first be familiar with Western mythology. As Henri Loyrette, director of the Musée du Louvre in France, put it: “Mythology is not merely a collection of stories about the gods, heroes, and fantastical beasts. It is also a way through which people interpret the world, nature, and the cosmos, reflecting their philosophies. It has profoundly influenced our language... Especially since the seventeenth century, with the renewed study of ancient French literature, mythology has become an important source of inspiration for artists.” This exhibition will be held at the National Palace Museum in Taipei from January 20 to May 14, 2012.