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The Louvre

The Louvre is one of the largest art museums in the world, exhibiting over 380,000 objects and 35,000 works of art dating from prehistory to the 19th century. Established in 1793, the Louvre occupies the sumptuous interiors of the Louvre Palace and sees over 6 million visitors each year, making it one of the most popular tourists sights in Paris.

History

The Louvre Palace, which the Louvre museum occupies, started life as a late-12th-century fortress, built under King Phillipe August to protect Paris from Anglo-Norman threat. The palace later served as the city's royal residence until 1682, when the Sun King, King Louis IV, moved to Versailles.

Between 1692 and 1792, the Louvre was occupied by various art institutions. In 1750, a call for a display of the royal collection prompted King Louis XV to sanction some 96 pieces for public exhibition. However, it was not until the French Revolution that the Grand Assembly decided the building be used exclusively for displaying France's masterpieces.

The Louvre first opened as a museum in 1793, exhibiting a collection of some 537 paintings and 184 art objects predominating in looted royal and church property. Napoleon expanded the collection through successful military campaigns and in 1803 re-named the museum the Musée Napoléon; however, his defeat at Waterloo in 1815 prompted the return of many works to their original owners.

During the reigns of King Louis XVIII and King Charles X under the French Restoration (1814-1830), the Louvre's collection was expanded by more than 7,000 works. By 1872, 20,000 new pieces had been added. In 1882, the modern Louvre was born, with the entire building dedicated solely to the preservation and presentation of art.

The Collection

The Louvre's vast layout makes it impossible to see everything in one day. Visitors are advised to consult a floor plan, before deciding on the collections they would like to see the most. Floor plans can be picked up in the Napoleon Court beneath the Louvre's iconic glass pyramid built by Chinese architect I.M. Pei.

The ground floor is devoted to French sculptures from 5th-18th centuries as well as Italian sculptures from 16th-19th centuries. This floor also houses the Louvre's famous antiquities collection, with pieces from ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome.

The first floor is devoted to paintings and prints dating from 14th-19th century Europe. It features a good array of French Neo-Classical and Romantic art, as well as some of the world's most prominent Italian and Spanish artists.

Famous Works of Art

Leonardo Da Vinci's painting The Mona Lisa (1503-1506) is undoubtedly the star of the Louvre. Famous for her enigmatic smile, this world-famous painting was acquired under King Francis I and can be found occupying a single room on the first floor, protected behind bullet-proof glass.

Liberty Leading the People was painted by the Romantic French painter Eugène Delacroix to commemorate the 1830 July Revolution. It depicts the personification of Liberty leading the French people over fallen bodies while holding the tricoleur flag aloft and and is one of the most famous images of the French Revolution.

Another highlight of the Louvre is one of the world's most famous marble sculptures, Venus de Milo. Created between 130-100 BC and looted from Italy by Napoleon Bonaparte, it depicts the Ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite, whose missing arms are subject to much speculation.

Getting There

The Louvre is located on the right bank of the River Seine, in Paris' 1st arrondissement. This places it on the Ile-de-France, with the nearby Jardins des Tuileries and Place de la Concorde located just opposite the main entrance.

To get to the Louvre, take the Métro to the Palais-Royal–Musée du Louvre station or the Louvre Rivoli station. Entrances to the museum can be found through the Pyramid or the Carrousel du Louvre underground shopping mall.

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The Louvre