Ancient animals, pink and glitter: an exhibition at Louvre-Lens invites a longer look at cuteness we might otherwise pass over.
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When you stop in front of a small animal-shaped object in a museum, the word cute is sometimes spoken first before reading the year it was made. It's a brief impression that makes me feel like I need to find another explanation right away. But what would we see if we took that appreciation itself as the starting point of the exhibition?
Trop mignon! L’art du bonheur at Louvre-Lens in France examines cuteness, joy and comfort in art history. It will be held from September 23, 2026 to January 18, 2027. Approximately 300 paintings, sculptures, photographs, videos, and objects from ancient times to modern times were collected under one theme.
From hedgehog toys to kawaii
The official introduction to the exhibition includes an ancient hedgehog toy on wheels and a sculpture of a child playing with his feet. A sensibility we might associate only with today’s character merchandise also appears in objects from other eras.
The shape of an animal, the round body of a child, pink and glitter have different histories and uses. Rather than grouping them all into the same taste, the exhibition creates a space to see side by side which forms have created intimacy or attachment and in what context.
Just because it's cute doesn't mean it's simple
The cuteness that the exhibition deals with is not only comforting. We also look at cases where it becomes a tool for consumption and propaganda, or when its soft appearance reveals uncomfortable problems in society. What shape you like and what that shape is used for are two separate questions.
When ancient objects and modern works are placed in one exhibition, the distance between their eras also becomes apparent. Unlike asking how popular a specific character is, we can compare how the expressions and gestures of objects from different eras have drawn people’s attention.
It cannot be said that everyone who sees this exhibition finds comfort in the same work. However, it is interesting that the brief impressions made in front of the work are not treated as less important than the explanation.
Look at the little hedgehog's wheel again. Next to the description that it is an old item, there is a shape that still makes you want to roll it around.
Official exhibition video
This is an exhibition introduction video released by Louvre-Lens.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_DWmwibctQ
official channel
https://www.youtube.com/c/louvrelens
Sources and editorial notes
Louvre-Lens · Official exhibition description · Works · Current schedule
Louvre-Lens · Official exhibition video
Editorial note: Facts were checked against the sources above; interpretations are MUADAILY’s editorial views. Image: Louvre-Lens · Preview of the official exhibition introduction video.
Machine-translated from Korean. Read the original.
