200 Years before Kusama’s Infinity Room, Jacques-Louis David Invented the Immersive Installation

 Yayoi Kusama may get all the credit for the immersive, mirrored installation—a favorite of the Instagram set (and, well, everyone else, too). But the popular Japanese artist owes a great debt to an unexpected source: Jacques-Louis David. The influential French Neoclassicist—and chillingly calculated Robespierre supporter—should be acknowledged for the innovative display method he developed more than 200 years ago.

Following Robespierre’s downfall in 1794, David and other prominent members of the regicidal Convention Nationale were imprisoned. It was there that the already notorious artist developed the concept for his “great aesthetic manifesto painting,” an artwork that would demonstrate both his incomparable skill, and, in the wake of the bloody French Revolution (in which David voted on many an execution), his eagerness to advocate for the reconciliation of the French people. …Read More