The Louvre is devoting an exhibition to Antoine Watteau’s (1684-1721) masterpiece, examining this mysterious work in the context of the theatrical life of the early 18th century, and in relation to the artist’s own oeuvre and that of his contemporaries.

“The enigmatic painting in the Louvre par excellence”. This is how the painter and writer Bernard Dufour described the Pierrot, long known as the Gilles (c. 1719). Beyond the familiar, iconic figure of this strange character dressed all in white, this is a work of absolute singularity. Everything about it, from its history and composition to its iconography and format, intrigues and questions. The origins of the painting remain totally unknown, and its first certain mention only dates back to 1826.

Gilles/Pierrot has exerted to this day an extraordinary fascination on creators from all periods. In the 1820s Pierrot inspired the genius pantomime actor Jean-Gaspard Deburau (1796-1846) who is in turn the character played by mime Marcel Marceau in Marcel Carné’s famous film Les Enfants du paradis (1945). We will see how from Fragonard to Picasso, via Nadar, Baudelaire, Couture and Derain, painters, writers, actors, photographers and filmmakers have tried to unravel Pierrot’s captivating enigma.