Genius and Majesty - Louis XIV by Bernini

From 3 June to 28 September 2025, the Château de Versailles is unveiling an exceptional exhibition, Genius and Majesty: Louis XIV by Bernini. The exhibition highlights one of the jewels of Baroque sculpture: the famous bust of Louis XIV, created in 1665 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the undisputed master of 17th-century Italian art.

A dialogue between two geniuses

Housed in the appartement de la Dauphine, the exhibition retraces Bernini's visit to Paris at the invitation of the Sun King (/en/inspiration/themed-guides/follow-in-the-footsteps-of-louis-xiv). This trip gave rise to what some consider to be ‘the most grandiose Baroque portrait’: an idealised Louis XIV, sculpted in marble with unrivalled expressive power. The exhibition also explores the artistic tensions between Italian Baroque and French Classicism, heralding a fertile rivalry that would shape the history of art.

An unprecedented setting

Usually perched high up in the "Salon de Diane", the bust is exceptionally presented at man's height.
This proximity offers a rare opportunity to admire the details of this masterly work, in a frame restored for the occasion. The sumptuous décor of the salon, in the midst of the Renaissance, sublimates this encounter between the genius of the sculptor and the majesty of the king.

This exhibition is much more than a tribute to an artist or a monarch: it is an immersion in the brilliance of a century, a celebration of the power of art to embody eternity. Not to be missed by all lovers of history, beauty and grandeur.

More exhibitions in the Paris Region.