behind the scenes of the new Louvre-Lens exhibition

The menu is tempting, but unfortunately, you will have to wait to enjoy it. From ancient Greece to the Elysee, through Mesopotamia, Egypt and many other countries and eras, The tables of power, a new temporary exhibition at the Louvre-Lens, takes visitors on a discovery of 5,000 years of tableware history.

A reconstructed banquet hall from ancient Greece, Louis XIV’s large table and many other treasures: nearly 400 objects and works are brought together for this exhibition. An ingenious idea to evoke the way in which people of power ate and received their guests, to better understand an era and a region of the world. The fascinating combination of the discovery of tableware and the arts, with paintings, sculptures and other archaeological objects that complete this exhibition which will have required three years of preparation.

But now, at the beginning of spring, the museums are still closed. The exhibition was scheduled to start on March 31. Behind the scenes, everyone is busy pretending that this is still possible. True teamwork, which also includes all those who have lent their precious works. “We continued to work with our partners who really played along, explains Hélène Bouillon, who heads the museum’s exhibition department. They sent their works not knowing when we can open. We worked on setting up this exhibition to be ready on March 31st. We know that unfortunately the museums will still be closed on this date. But as soon as we have permission to open, we will “.

[Backstage] #expoTablesduPouvoir: Construction in progress ! Appetizer at the Louvre-Lens with the arrival of the first works of our next exhibition. After the scenography work, the ballet of state reports & the first clashes began. Enough to whet our appetite! pic.twitter.com/0M42aRdq98

— Louvre-Lens (@MuseeLouvreLens) March 18, 2021

Like many other museums and cultural venues, the Louvre-Lens offers a virtual tour of the exhibition. In particular, you will discover that one of the rituals that have been part of our daily lives for a year, hand washing, has been one of the pillars of mealtimes since Antiquity! A rite of purification that has transformed over time into a gesture of hygiene.