The Tours Museum of Fine Arts is hosting a significant exhibition featuring Michel Colombe's masterpiece "Virgin and Child," marking a triumphant homecoming for the sculpture to the city of its creator. The exhibition, titled "Renaissance of a Work: Michel Colombe's Virgin and Child," runs from May 16 to November 3, 2025, with additional displays continuing in Saint-Gatien Cathedral.
This presentation represents both a just return and an exemplary collaboration between the Louvre and Tours. The beautiful "Virgin of La Carte" was notably absent from the rich exhibition "Tours 1500, Capital of Arts" in spring 2012, despite or perhaps because of its loan to the Grand Palais a year earlier. After finally joining French public collections in November 2022, the sculpture deserved to return, even temporarily, to Tours.
Following its provisional presentation in the Sculpture Department's current events room at the Louvre between February and June 2023, the terracotta masterpiece underwent restoration at the C2RMF by Hélène Susini and Azzurra Palazzo. The sculpture has now traveled to the Tours Museum of Fine Arts, where it is displayed in deliberately darkened lighting conditions, contrasting sharply with its future Parisian gallery that will be bathed in natural light.
This atmospheric presentation, justified by the presence of several fragile works, actually enhances rather than detracts from the sculpture's impact. The work is perfectly contextualized within an intelligent selection of accompanying pieces, supported by rich interpretive materials that merit high praise. The thoughtful curation demonstrates how proper presentation can elevate a masterpiece's impact on viewers.
For those unable to make the journey to Tours, the Louvre has made available online a comprehensive conference from their "Work on Stage" series, alongside many other interesting presentations. While often critical of the great Parisian museum, this acquisition, restoration, and exhibition represent commendable efforts deserving recognition.
The Tours exhibition begins by drawing primarily from regional collections, creating a carefully conceived journey through the artistic context of Colombe's era. This approach allows visitors to understand the broader cultural and artistic environment in which the master sculptor worked, providing essential background for appreciating his achievement.
The exhibition serves as both an educational resource and a celebration of one of France's most important Renaissance sculptors, demonstrating how institutional collaboration can bring major artworks back to their places of origin for public appreciation and scholarly study.
