Until January 26, the Louvre Lens is offering for the first time a vast retrospective devoted to Gothic art, from the 12th century to the present day. Bringing together 250 works, theexhibition immerses the visitor in the world of the great cathedral builders, before revealing, at the end of the journey, the flamboyant resurgence of gothic at the heart of contemporary pop culture.

1/ Gothic before its time

Gothic art was born in Île-de-France around 1140. Although it did not yet bear this name, it already constituted a true artistic revolution. Inspired by models from Antiquity, the new movement broke with Romanesque art. A symbol of royal power and urban growth, and driven by technical progress, Gothic established itself as a total art that first encompassed architecture (with the famous ribbed vault) and sculpture, then stained glass, manuscripts, etc. In fifty years, artists would spread this new art throughout Europe. Many of our most beautiful cathedrals respond to them. Gothic is embodied by a conquest of light and elegance. Thick drapes and folds adorn the silhouettes of the sculptures, as evidenced by the graceful statue of Saint Mary Magdalene of Génicourt (1524) presented (in reproduction) in the exhibition.

2/ Goth yourself!

During the Renaissance, Gothic still had no name. It was only around 1520, in a letter from Raphael to Pope Leo X, that the term appeared for the first time. "Gothic" was then nothing more than an insult: it designated an art deemed archaic, worthy of the Middle Ages, and which should be abandoned. The word refers to the Goths (pronounced "go"), a Germanic people at the height of barbarism. An illustration of this idea can be found in the painting by Joseph-Noël Sylvestre, "The Sack of Rome in 410 by the Barbarians" (1890), in which the sacking of the Roman capital by the Visigoths, responsible for the fall of Rome, depicts this barbarity, in contrast with the grandeur of the ancient capital. Here, the theme is revisited by the artist Agathe Pitié, in a new triptych, designed especially for the exhibition, where contemporary Gothic artists emerge.

3/ When Gothicism takes root

Over the centuries, Gothic art has established itself as a major cultural heritage. In the 19th century, it experienced a spectacular revival in the arts with the Neo-Gothic, led by great architects such as Viollet-Le-Duc. This style would go on to inspire the structuralism of modern architecture, including American skyscrapers. Gone were the days of Antiquity, the Renaissance, or the Classical Age: in France, Gothic was now proclaimed the national art. In 1831, Victor Hugo celebrated this grandeur in "Notre-Dame de Paris," a monument of dilapidated beauty. Meanwhile, the Cluny Museum, now the National Museum of the Middle Ages, opened its doors in former Roman baths. Gothic then emerged as the expression of flamboyant romanticism.

4/ Turn black

In the Middle Ages, Gothic was synonymous with light and color: polychrome stucco and stained-glass windows bursting with red, blue, and gold bear witness to this. It was only much later that Gothic was tinged with shadow and darkness, becoming the reference for contemporary Goth culture. Around 1800, the suppression of convents and abbeys contributed to a macabre vision of medieval art. In the 19th century, Romanticism and the rise of Neo-Gothicism accentuated this perception: ruins, abandoned gardens, and chiaroscuro dominated romantic scenes, making the Gothic church the ideal setting. From this movement emerged a world of black and white, disturbing and fantastical, where the actress Sarah Bernhardt, the poets Edgar Allan Poe, and Baudelaire became references. First Goth influencers.

5/ The revival of medievalism

In recent years, the Middle Ages have experienced a remarkable comeback in contemporary culture, with references as cutting-edge as they are popular. Crossed with dark Gothic, it gives rise to works such as Iris van Herpen's cathedral dress, Alison Flora's sanguine paintings made with her own blood, and Sacha Cambier's triptych evoking Hieronymus Bosch. Gothic is now asserting itself on five continents, as demonstrated by the "mood board" closing the exhibition. From Mylène Farmer (Never more) to Batman, the superhero seen in the Sagrada Familia, the last great Gothic building under construction, via Twilight and Game of Thrones, the perfect acronym for "Goth": Gothic is establishing itself as a universal language.