PRAXITELES

© louvre

A new exhibition has opened at the Louvre exploring the work of the ancient sculptor, Praxiteles. What’s slightly odd about this exhibition is that most of the works shown are not those of Praxiteles himself, but of his apprentices or even copies of his sculptures. Not surprising , I suppose, when you realise he was sculpting his beautiful marble bodies around 350 BC. What is surprising, shocking even, is the nudity of such ancient sculptures, especially his monumental Aphrodite of Cnidus. But then, this is France!