Praxiteles (c.390-330BC) was the son of the sculptor Cephisodotos, who might have been his first teacher, and was one of the most popular Greek artists of his time, as many of his works were later copied by other artists. One of the most famous artists of the Antiquity, Praxiteles was also the first Greek sculptor to dared to defy the taboo of nudity, presenting for a first time a female nude, with great success. Nowadays the details about his life are hazy and made mostly of anecdotes, and most of his works have been lost or destroyed, his style surviving through the Roman copies of his sculptures.
So the work of the curators of the Louvre exhibition was no easy task, as they tried to present the syle and techniques used by Praxiteles, using both copies and works which were atributed to him. It is for the first time in any museum around the world that such a great number of works in marble and bronze are assembled, with the ambition to evoke the various images used at that time. If some of the works are later copies, a few may actually be made by Praxiteles, as they bear the trademark of his style.
The curators will present also the troubles of identifying and autheticate the works of Praxiteles today, though it seems that some sculptures, previously considered the works of unknown artists, may be by this great master of Ancient sculpture.
The exhibition will be expecting it's visitors between 23 March - 18 June 2007.
February 2007
