Joel Shapiro: 20 Elements (2005)

Renowned sculptor Joel Shapiro is commissioned by the Musée d'Orsay in Paris for their Correspondences project, designed to explore art's complexities by pairing modern works with museum masterpieces. Shapiro selects Jean Baptiste Carpeaux's La Danse, a monumental depiction of human sensuality that once graced the Paris Opera. The film documents the creation of 20 vibrant wooden pieces, showcasing Shapiro's masterful joinery, as he and his assistants assemble and position the sculpture in relation to La Danse. It offers a rare glimpse into this art historical event, with historians and curators questioning Shapiro about his bold artistic dialogue with Carpeaux.