Mark Lewis: Invention au Louvre

For some years now, the Louvre has regularly extended invitations to artists to conceive a work that somehow incorporates its vast collections. Jan Fabre, Wim Delvoye, Walid Raad, Loris Gréaud and Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami have all had their turn; this year's artist of choice is Canadian videographer Mark Lewis.

Having started out in photography, Lewis – a great admirer of the Lumière brothers – eventually gravitated toward video art. For the Louvre's commission, he's produced three films centred on three of the museum's paintings: Giovanni Sassetta's 'Blessed Ranieri', Chardin's 'Child with a Top' and the 'Venus de Milo' statue. In each case, the artist will animate the work, thus bringing the static galleries of the Louvre to life. Our interest is most certainly piqued.