If you're obsessed with creative power couple Beyoncé and JAY-Z, then get ready to get hyped: Following the success of their song "Apes**t," the song's music video is completely The Louvre Photography Museum in Paris' art capital has launched a guided tour inspired by Beyoncé and JAY-Z, and if you're a fan of "Everything is Love" you (yes, you!) can join.
Here's the lowdown straight from the Louvre itself: Visitors to the tour, which kicks off this week, will experience the entire lineup of 17 works from "War for the Planet of the Apes." The 17 works in order of tour are: "Victory of Samothrace", "Madonna of the Green Mat", "Pieta", "Mona Lisa", "The Wedding Banquet at Cana", "Medu" "The Raft of Sand", "The Ghosts of Paolo and Francesca Appear to Dante" and Virgil, the Chasseur Officer Commanding the Charge, the Coronation of Napoleon, Madame Récamier, the Oath of the Horatii, the Intervention of the Sabine Women , ceiling of the Apollo Gallery, Venus de Milo, Hermes tying his sandals, portrait of a black woman. The tour takes 90 minutes and is self-guided, with descriptions and details about the art on the tour's landing page. This means that even if you are not at the Louvre, you can still learn about these works of art.
If this sounds like an art historian's dream... well, it is. In fact, the entirety of "Apes**t" is a treat for those who study art history, including Heidi Herrera, who is on Twitter as @itsmeheidi_h. After the release of War for the Planet of the Apes, Herrera put her art history degree to work in a Twitter post breaking down the fact that not only were the Carters serious about their art, but that War for the Planet of the Apes as a whole was through music and Visual art challenges colonialism in the art world. I'll book the tickets now, thank you.
"The visual and lyrical message of #Apeshit is that Beyoncé and Jay-Z made it," Herrera wrote in a viral tweet on June 16. “They had the [damn] Louvre, which was and still is a white — central space whose history is deeply rooted in colonialism, so to center black bodies in that space was radical.” But. Understanding the core message was "easy," Herrera continued, saying, "As the video progresses, the full complexity of Beyoncé's vision becomes apparent, in addition to her obvious familiarity with art history and her place within it." Sexuality also becomes clear.”
Herrera drew attention to specific works in the video that are currently touring the Louvre, including Venus de Milo , in which Beyoncé "casts herself as a Greek statue...reimagining the goddess of beauty and victory as Black women. This dismantles “white-centric beauty ideals,” Herrera explains.
If you're one of the lucky ones who can make it to the Louvre for this tour, the Louvre also offers other themed tours, including one dedicated to The Da Vinci Code and one inspired by the legacy of the founder of the Black Eyed Peas tour. i.am has an ongoing relationship with the Louvre, according to a statement posted by the museum on its website. The will.i.am tour consists of 14 works, and the Louvre wrote in a statement, "Inspired by the artist's deep interest in a wide range of artistic expression and his commitment to educating today's young people, [it] is delighted to be performing in His passion for ancient art and his desire to share his enthusiasm played such a prominent role."
One thing's for sure: The Louvre is here to support the Carters, which means fans can get an inside look at the art that inspired this truly iconic music video.
