Over 100 contemporary artists, including Jeff Koons, Paul McCarthy, Julie Mehretu, Camille Henrot, Claire Tabouret, and Julien Creuzet, were invited to create copies of masterpieces from the Louvre's collection. Their works are now on view in the exhibition "Copyists" at the Centre Pompidou-Metz, a satellite of the Pompidou in northeastern France. The show features reinterpretations of iconic paintings such as Eugène Delacroix's *Liberty Leading the People* (1830), Giovanni Bellini's *Portrait of a Man* (ca. 1475–1500), and Théodore Géricault's *The Raft of Medusa* (1818–19), among others. Co-curators Donatien Grau and Chiara Parisi emphasize that the exhibition is about the act of copying itself, not just the resulting copies, and that it creates a dialogue between contemporary artists and historical masters.
This exhibition matters because it revives the centuries-old tradition of copying masterpieces as a core artistic practice, which has largely faded since the late 19th century. By inviting leading contemporary artists to engage directly with the Louvre's collection, "Copyists" challenges the notion that copying is antithetical to innovation. Instead, it positions reinterpretation as a vital creative force, bridging past and present. The show also highlights how contemporary techniques—such as Giulia Andreani's use of acrylic and watercolor instead of oil—can make a statement about materiality and artistic heritage, opening new ways to view and understand canonical works.