The Louvre Museum is launching a unique cinema club this fall to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Jacques-Louis David's death. Running alongside a major retrospective exhibition from October 25, 2025, to January 26, 2026, the museum has announced a themed film series titled "From David to Kubrick: From Revolution to Empire on Screen." The cinema club will explore the major themes of David's life and artistic career, examining how the French master consistently used his paintings as political manifestos reflecting his evolving convictions.
Scheduled from October 17 to 26, 2025, the film series will delve into the complex political journey of Jacques-Louis David, who dramatically shifted his allegiances throughout his career. Initially a fervent revolutionary, David was elected as a deputy to the National Convention and became a close associate of Robespierre. During this period, he created politically charged works including "The Tennis Court Oath" and paid homage to journalist Jean-Paul Marat with his famous painting "The Death of Marat." Later, with the rise of Napoleon's Empire, David transformed into a loyal supporter of the Emperor, serving as First Painter and creating iconic works such as "The Coronation of Napoleon" and "Napoleon Crossing the Alps at the Great St. Bernard Pass."
To translate this remarkable political and artistic journey to the big screen, the Louvre has curated approximately ten films and documentaries for the series. The selection includes Pierre Schoeller's "A People and Its King," Jean Renoir's "La Marseillaise," Sergei Bondarchuk's "Waterloo," Stanley Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon," Ettore Scola's "That Night in Varennes," and Abel Gance's epic "Napoleon." Notably, all the featured films are directed by male filmmakers, reflecting the historical dominance of men in cinema during the periods these works were created.
The cinema club will take place at the Louvre's Michel Laclotte Auditorium, located in the Napoleon Courtyard at Place des Pyramides in Paris's 1st arrondissement. Tickets are priced affordably between 5 and 10 euros, making this cultural experience accessible to a broad audience. This initiative represents the Louvre's commitment to going above and beyond in honoring David's bicentennial, offering visitors a multifaceted exploration of how his revolutionary artistic vision continues to influence contemporary culture and cinema.
