Sous Le Regard De Méduse De La Grèce Antique Aux Arts Numériques

Exhibition at the Musée des beaux-arts de Caen, 13 May - 17 September 2023

A key figure in mythology, Medusa has exerted her power of fascination on many artists. Recognisable by the swarm of snakes that form her hair and the stare of her wide-set eyes, Medusa is a figure as ambiguous as she is paradoxical: an instrument of death petrifying those who cross her gaze, she simultaneously possesses the power to avert evil spells and even to resurrect the dead.

This exhibition catalogue brings together nearly eighty works from French and international collections, created by the greatest artists, from Croesilas, a sculptor of Greek antiquity, to current artists, including Botticelli, Rubens, Bernini, Nattier, Burne Jones, Bourdelle, Rodin, Alberto Giacometti, Damien Hirst and Anish Kapoor. Covering both traditional and contemporary media, the book provides an insight into the changing readings of the myth and the many metamorphoses undergone by one of the most powerful metaphors of art and its captivating effect on the viewer.