European Values Through Art at the University of Luxembourg

European Union law is often associated with courtrooms, treaties and institutions. Yet the values it embodies – human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality and the rule of law – shape daily life far beyond legal texts. With its art contest, the Luxembourg Centre for European Law (LCEL) invited a broad audience to reflect on this connection. The call was shared across the University of Luxembourg and beyond, reaching staff members, students, schools, libraries and other local partners, and centered on a simple question: What do EU values mean to you?

The contest was organised by the LCEL Library in the context of the Centre’s inaugural conference. Participants from different backgrounds were invited to respond to the theme “EU Law and Values in a Changing World” using painting, photography, drawing or collage. Rather than approaching the topic from a legal or academic perspective, contributors translated their reflections into visual works rooted in everyday experience.

The submitted artworks address a wide range of issues, from justice and cultural diversity to the challenges raised by artificial intelligence. Together, they illustrate how European values are understood not as abstract principles, but as concepts that shape the personal, civic, political, economic and social rights enjoyed by people in the European Union.

Amandine Troseller and her artwork titled "The Importance of Establishing a Legal Framework for Using AI."

The jury awarded the prize to Amandine Trosseler for her work “The Importance of Establishing a Legal Framework for Using AI.” The artwork places a human brain at its centre, symbolising both the opportunities and the challenges associated with artificial intelligence. It reflects concerns related to regulation, responsibility and ethical limits—questions that are increasingly at the heart of European legislative and judicial debates.

Beyond the contest itself, the initiative also highlights the role of the LCEL Library as more than a space for study. By hosting the contest and the exhibition, the Library positions itself as a place of encounter, bringing together disciplines, perspectives and communities around shared European values.

The selected artworks are currently exhibited in the LCEL Library, in front of the EU law section. They will also be featured in the LCEL Annual Report and shared via the University of Luxembourg’s digital platforms.