Guardians of the Louvre

“Is this a dream?” wonders a young comic-book artist who is surprised to find his visit to the Louvre interrupted by a fantastical reverie. Before his curious eyes, the long queues of tourists disappear and he is visited by an apparition in the form of Winged Victory. Like a literal patron saint of the arts, she introduces him to the spirits she calls the Guardians of the Louvre before sending him on a phantasmagorical journey where he meets and chats with some of his favorite painters, such as Corot and Van Gogh. Taniguchi’s (The Walking Man) coolly and resplendently drawn, if rather indifferently written, book is the latest curious addition to NBM’s Louvre Collection. It’s unclear why the Louvre would want a book to emphasize the difficulty of navigating their great swarms of visitors, but Taniguchi does a fine job of selling the museum as a bastion of wonderment, albeit one best visited in solitude with the guidance of a benevolent ghost. (May)