PARIS, FRANCE.- The Louvre presents the exhibition Romanesque France at the time of the first Capetians (987-1152), on view through June 6, 2005. Romanesque art is known and appreciated by a wide public. The French countryside is rich in Roman and Romanesque monuments, which are among its most visited sites. But this was also the period during which modern day France began to take shape and when national unity was fostered through the use of a single language. Even so, there has been no major comprehensive exhibition of Romanesque art in France. The Louvre has therefore decided to present 300 works (sculptures, everyday as well as precious objects, manuscripts) that are representative both of the various modes of artistic expression and of the diversity of French regions.

What is the rationale for confining this portrayal of a significant period in French civilization within specific limits? The justification for selecting the first date is clear: Hugues Capet’s ascension to the throne represents not only the advent of a new dynasty but also the end of the Carolingians’ imperial dream. A unifying monarchical authority slowly emerges, which remains in power for eight centuries. The second date, 1152, one year after the death of Abbot Suger of Saint Denis, advisor to Louis VI and Louis VII, is that of the annulment of the marriage of Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitaine. She immediately marries Henry Plantagenet, who becomes Henry II, king of England, in 1154. This date thus marks the beginning of the rivalry between the Capetians and the Plantagenets who control half of French territory, but also the birth and efflorescence of Gothic art.

This exhibition brings together many world-renowned masterpieces, some of which have not been displayed to the public for fifty years. These major works include pre-eminent artistic groupings representing each of the regions of France. The exhibition is therefore an event of national significance.