Lancôme and Louvre's Beauty Campaign Critiqued for Narrow Representation and Commercialization
Lancôme has teamed up with the Louvre, showcasing ambassadors Zendaya, Amanda Seyfried, Aya Nakamura, and He Cong alongside historical sculptures to celebrate varied beauty. Recently launched, Zendaya draws inspiration from the Winged Victory of Samothrace, while the others are depicted with the Venus of Arles and a bust of Corine. Laurence des Cars, the Louvre's president-director since 2021, commended the collaboration. However, some critics contend it perpetuates traditional standards of beauty, ignoring the industry's shift toward inclusivity. The featured sculptures, rooted in ancient Greek and Roman art, embody a classicist style. Although the Louvre's collection includes diverse pieces addressing race and gender, they were not included in this initiative, prompting concerns about the museum's commercialization of art amid ongoing restitution debates.
Key facts
- Lancôme and the Louvre Museum collaborated on a beauty campaign featuring ambassadors Zendaya, Amanda Seyfried, Aya Nakamura, and He Cong.
- Images pair models with ancient sculptures like the Winged Victory of Samothrace and Venus of Arles, emphasizing visual parallels.
- Laurence des Cars, the Louvre's first woman president-director since 2021, endorsed the campaign for promoting diversity in beauty.
- Critics note the campaign overlooks inclusive trends in the beauty industry, such as representation of diverse genders, ages, and body types.
- Selected artworks are exclusively from ancient Greek and Roman traditions, ignoring the Louvre's broader collection from other cultures.
- The campaign follows previous Louvre commercial partnerships, including a Beyoncé and Jay-Z music video in 2018 and a perfume line with Officine Universelle Buly.
- Issues of restitution for artworks to former African colonies and acquisition malpractice are ongoing concerns for the museum.
- The article was written by French Tunisian writer Farah Abdessamad, based in New York City.
Entities
Artists
- Zendaya
- Amanda Seyfried
- Aya Nakamura
- He Cong
- Edme-François-Étienne Gois
- Marie-Guillemine Benoist
- Farah Abdessamad
- Beyoncé
- Jay-Z
Institutions
- Lancôme
- Louvre Museum
- Officine Universelle Buly
- ArtReview
Locations
- Paris
- France
- New York City
- United States
- Rome
- Italy
- Samothrace
- Greece
- Mesopotamia