Hosts at the LouvreKader Attia and Elizabeth Peyton

Kader Attia and Elizabeth Peyton are the 2024–2026 Hosts at the Louvre.
Kader Attia (born 1970 in Dugny, France; lives and works in Paris and Berlin) is known for his work at the frontier of shape and thought, between logical inquiry and contemporary ideas. Elizabeth Peyton (born 1965 in Connecticut, United States; lives and works in Paris and New York) brings vibrant life to painting through the art of portraiture.

For two years, they inhabited the spaces – both physical and imaginary – of the Louvre. Each had a studio on the premises, where they created, conversed with museum personnel, and engaged with the public.

Previously studio neighbours, they now share the temporary exhibition space in the Salle de la Chapelle, where the results of their respective sojourns in the museum are on display for all to see. For Attia, this means a film and an installation inspired by his own intimate meanderings in the Louvre, contemplating the fluctuations of ages, memories, and gazes, turning his own vision into a subject. For Peyton, it means paintings and drawings: a mixture of reinterpretations of works from the Louvre, which she has been creating since her early years as an artist, and representations of historic and contemporary subjects, made in her studio in the museum.

Their intersecting interpretations of the Louvre make manifest the wealth of resources to be found in the museum and in the works it houses, which serve as a source of inspiration to artists and visitors alike.

 

An exhibition designed by Donatien Grau and Nicolas Marbeau, in dialogue with the artists.