James Coleman's contribution to the 2003 Leonardo da Vinci exhibition was a taste of things to come; the Louvre's new contemporary art strategy was fully launched with a host of projects in 2004. Guest contemporary artists during the past two years have included Florence Paradeis and Patrick Faigenbaum (who created visuals for the Carte Louvre Jeunes) together with François Rouan at the Primaticcio exhibition. Not forgetting Maurizio Cattelan's drummer boy, perched casually on the rooftop balustrade of the Denon wing, to the astonishment of passers-by looking upwards for the source of the mysterious drumbeats echoing in the street below. In conjunction with the showing of Delacroix's Dante and Virgil in Hell in April–June 2004, the Department of Prints and Drawings exhibited a triple-decker collection of drawings and watercolors by Miquel Barceló, illustrating the Divine Comedy: Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. Alongside Barceló's own drawings was his personal selection from the department's 16th- and 17th-century drawings and engravings on the same theme.
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Exhibitions echo, explore, and provide a counterpoint to the museum's collections, making use of the latest research by specialists.
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