Louvre Exhibition Juxtaposes Michelangelo and Rodin in 'Corps Vivants'

The Louvre in Paris presents 'Michelangelo and Rodin: Living Bodies' from April 15 to July 20, 2026, an exhibition exploring the formal and conceptual connections between the two sculptors. Featuring over 200 works, the show includes marbles, bronzes, plasters, terracottas, and prints from the Louvre, Musée Rodin, and international collections. It opens with five key pieces: Michelangelo's 'Dying Slave' and 'Rebellious Slave', and Rodin's 'The Age of Bronze', 'Adam', and 'Jean d'Aire'. The exhibition is organized into five sections that interweave their works, examining shared inspirations from nature and antiquity, the emergence of the torso as an autonomous form, and the aesthetic of the 'non finito' (unfinished). Rodin's 1876 trip to Florence and his discovery of the Medici Chapel in San Lorenzo are highlighted as pivotal. Contemporary pieces by Joseph Beuys, Bruce Nauman, Giuseppe Penone, and Jana Sterbak demonstrate the enduring influence of both masters. The show also includes Mannerist works inspired by Michelangelo from Vincenzo Danti, Vincenzo de Rossi, and Pierino da Vinci, and a wooden 'Crucified Christ' from Casa Buonarroti. Rodin's 'The Hand of God' and Penone's 'Tree of Seven Meters' illustrate the unfinished technique. The exhibition closes with Nauman's 'Walking a Line'.