AVIGNON.- A rare gem of early Renaissance art has made its way to Avignon, signaling an exciting new chapter for the city's cultural scene. Cimabue's The Mocking of Christ, a tiny but monumentally important painting, has arrived at the Musée du Petit Palais – Louvre en Avignon, thanks to a strengthened partnership between the Louvre Museum and the City of Avignon.

This exceptional loan marks a significant milestone, launching an ambitious architectural and museographic overhaul for the Petit Palais, slated for completion by 2029. It’s a powerful testament to the joint commitment to elevate Avignon's unique collection of early Italian "primitives"—a stunning ensemble of 320 works from the 13th to 16th centuries, originally deposited by the Louvre in 1976.

Measuring just 25.8 by 20.3 centimeters, The Mocking of Christ was only rediscovered in a private collection in 2019. Its subsequent classification as a National Treasure and acquisition by the Louvre in 2023 caused a stir in the art world. Fresh from its public debut at the "Revoir Cimabue" exhibition in Paris, the painting is now set to captivate audiences in Avignon. It offers a glimpse into a pivotal moment in art history, showcasing an artistic innovation that helped usher in the Renaissance.

"It is a great joy to make the exceptional loan of The Mocking of Christ the first act of the ambitious partnership forged between the Louvre Museum and the Petit Palais – Louvre en Avignon," said Laurence des Cars, President-Director of the Louvre Museum. "The presentation of the work alongside the Campana collection heralds a new chapter in the shared history between our two institutions. We wanted the first ambassador of the Louvre in Avignon to be worthy of this significant cooperation, which will accompany the museum's transformation until its reopening."

To celebrate this momentous occasion, the museum is also unveiling a fresh new graphic identity, designed by studio M/M (Paris), drawing inspiration directly from the rich imagery and inscriptions found within its historical paintings.

Cimabue: Paving the Way for a New Era of Art

Accompanying the loan is a dedicated exhibition, "The Youth of Painting. Cimabue Paves the Way," which brilliantly contextualizes The Mocking of Christ within the museum's own collections.

The exhibition's first section transports visitors back to the mid-13th century, highlighting the artistic ferment of the 1280s. It explores how Cimabue broke from Byzantine traditions, crafting a freer, more expressive painting style that embraced the human form. This innovative approach laid the groundwork for the naturalism that would define the Renaissance.

The second section then explores the diverse paths taken by Italian painting in the wake of Cimabue's groundbreaking contributions. Here, The Mocking of Christ enters a dialogue with slightly later Tuscan works from the early 14th century, many from the Campana collection. This juxtaposition illuminates the rich and varied responses of Cimabue's followers and casts new light on the entire collection, presenting a comprehensive panorama of "the youth of Italian painting," with Cimabue at its origin point.

Cenni di Pepo, known as Cimabue (c. 1240 – 1302), was a visionary. The late 13th century saw him revolutionize Western painting by seeking to represent the world, objects, and bodies as they truly were. Though much of his life remains a mystery, his impact was profound. Even the great poet Dante Alighieri was among the first to acknowledge his genius. With Cimabue, painting transcended medieval codes, becoming an art form designed to move and mesmerize, fully opening the door to the Renaissance.

The Mocking of Christ was originally part of a larger narrative diptych, believed to have contained eight scenes. Two other panels, The Small Maestà and The Flagellation of Christ, are now in London and New York, respectively. Scientific studies confirmed these three panels were once part of the same wooden board, likely created for a community of Franciscan nuns.

This extraordinary painting, with its vivid characters, tense muscles, and refined costumes, broke new ground. It perfectly mirrored the shift in devotional practices towards a more emotional and imaginative spirituality. Cimabue's inventive painting and narrative verve, once thought to be the sole domain of his famous successors Giotto and Duccio, are now fully revealed as his own pioneering achievements.