Robert Wilson's Intimate 'Living Rooms' Takes Over the Louvre

Robert Wilson has transformed multiple rooms at the Musée du Louvre into a deeply personal installation titled 'Living Rooms.' Rather than a conventional museum display or philosophical exhibition, Wilson presents a double gesture of erasure and intimacy. In the Chapelle room, a meticulously made bed with precisely arranged cushions and a wrinkle-free blanket decorated with tiny statuettes forms the centerpiece, surrounded by masks and statues from around the world. Wilson avoids labels to prevent fetishization, allowing each object to breathe individually, echoing Braque's dictum about painting the air between things. The installation includes personal traces like Merce Cunningham's sneakers and George Balanchine's ballet slippers, but without explanatory text. In the Maquette room, Wilson presents 'visions' inspired by Lady Gaga's extraordinarily mobile face, inserting her image into Ingres's Portrait of Mlle Rivière and Solario's Saint John the Baptist. The exhibition runs until February 17, 2014, at the Louvre in Paris.