The Louvre in Paris is presenting a major retrospective of Jacques-Louis David, featuring 100 works by the celebrated French artist, to mark the bicentenary of his death in 1825. Curated by Sébastien Allard, the exhibition opens October 15 and runs through January, drawing on the Louvre's own collection and prestigious loans from institutions including the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. The show includes works not seen in the previous David retrospective in 1989, such as *Cupid and Psyche* (1817), and is accompanied by a comprehensive catalog in French.
The exhibition matters because it revisits David's career after 35 years, offering a fresh perspective that challenges the traditional Neoclassical label and emphasizes the inseparable link between his art and his complex political engagement. By highlighting his roles during the Ancien Régime, the French Revolution, the Empire, and his exile, the show argues that David's painting was a means of moral and political transformation, not merely an aesthetic pursuit. This retrospective aims to deepen understanding of an artist whose work and life remain deeply intertwined with pivotal moments in French history.