French street artist JR will have a rare opportunity this summer: he has been invited to transform the iconic Louvre Pyramid with a large-scale anamorphic installation.
JR is internationally celebrated for his large-format interventions—pasting black-and-white photographic images or projecting video onto buildings and public spaces. His work emphasizes human faces and uses scale and placement to create striking, often site-specific visual statements.
Keeping his personal identity private, JR will present his project at the Louvre from May 25 to June 27. The installation will occupy the Louvre Auditorium and the Cour Napoléon, the vast courtyard whose centerpiece is the glass-and-metal Pyramid designed by I.M. Pei.
The museum notes that JR “has chosen the biggest gallery in the world to showcase his art: public spaces.” In accepting the invitation, JR targeted one of the Louvre’s most recognizable symbols—the Pyramid—and plans to alter its appearance through a surprising anamorphic image.
Anamorphic art relies on deliberate distortion so that the intended image resolves only when viewed from a particular vantage point. By applying this technique to the Pyramid, JR aims to reframe how visitors perceive the structure and to create a moment of discovery amidst the familiar backdrop of one of the world’s most visited museums.
The project continues JR’s ongoing exploration of public space as a gallery and of large-scale photography as a way to engage broad audiences in unexpected places.