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Louvre

The Louvre Museum () in Paris, France, is one of the world's most visited art museums, a historic monument, and a national symbol.[1][2] The collection's nearly 35,000 pieces are displayed over 60,000 square metres (650,000 sq ft).[3] The museum lies between the Seine and the Rue de Rivoli on the Right Bank in the 1st arrondissement neighborhood. A central landmark in Paris, the Louvre is slightly askew of the axe historique (historical axis), a roughly eight-kilometre (five-mile) architectural line bisecting the city.[4]

Construction began on the original Palais du Louvre in 1190 under Philip II and through time the structure became a fortress, prison, and residence.[5][6] The Louvre first became a depository for art under François I, but was not opened to the public until after the French Revolution. The contemporary Louvre museum was intended to symbolize the progress of Liberty and was thus a destination for spoils brought by Napoleon's victorious armies. The structure has a lengthy history of renovation, the most recent being the Grand Louvre project, which included the Pyramid and La Pyramide Inversée, completed in 1989 and 1993 respectively.[5]

The museum, which contains some of the world's most celebrated artworks, is divided among eight curatorial departments. The exhibits represent nearly every artistic genre and provenance including works of Egyptian, Oriental, and Islamic origin. The collections of French paintings and sculptures are among the world's most notable, as are a large number of other pieces, including Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, The Virgin and Child with St. Anne, and Madonna of the Rocks; Jacques Louis David's Oath of the Horatii; Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People; and Alexandros of Antioch's Venus de Milo.[5]

Contents

History

Le Palais du Louvre

The only portion of the medieval Louvre still visible
The only portion of the medieval Louvre still visible[4]
In 1190 CE, Philip Augustus began construction on a fortress that would become the Louvre, but it is unknown if this was the first building on that spot.[7][8][9] The Louvres etymology is similarly uncertain: some historians contend that the name referred to the structure as the largest in the area (French L'?uvre, masterpiece), while others argue that the name is based on the building's capacity to act as a castle (Anglo Saxon leouar, castle), or its location in a forest (French rouvre, oak).[4][8] The Louvre was renovated and augmented frequently through the Middle Ages. In 1358 Charles V built an encircling wall and converted the Louvre into a residence.[9] In 1546, François I employed architect Pierre Lescot and sculptor Jean Goujon to remove the keep and modernize the structure to conform to Renaissance style.[10] Lescot added a revolutionary ceiling, which departed from the tradional beam-style (the Pavillon de Roi), to King Henry II's royal chamber and installed the Salle des Caryatides. The latter was named for Goujon's caryatids, based on Greek and Roman works.[11] These modifications are prime examples of French Renaissance style and combine classicism and traditional French architecture.[12][13][14] In 1564, Catherine de'Medici directed the building of the Palais des Tuileries, which would face the Louvre. In 1594, King Henry IV began construction on his "Grand Design" to remove remnants of the medieval fortress. The plan included a Grande Galerie to link the Pavillon de Flore, the Louvre, and the Palais des Tuileries. This was completed by 1610, when the Pavillon de Flore was covered. Henry IV, however, was stabbed that year and his Grand Design lay unfinished.[12][13][15] In 1624, the classical architects Le Vau and Lemercier completed the the Cour Carrée under the reigns of Louis XIII and Louis XIV, quadrupling the size of the old courtyard.[16] The eponymous Le Vau-Le Mercier Wing was finished and remains visible today. In 1659, Louis XIV instigated a phase of construction under Le Vau, Le Nôtre, and painter Charles le Brun. Le Nôtre created the Tuileries garden; Le Vau finished the Tuileries palace; and Le Brun completed the decoration of the Gallerie d'Apollon.[12] Progress slowed after Louis XIV chose Versailles as his residence. Although the pace diminished, a colonnade was constructed along the eastern side, and a facade was built on the south. The royal household's move to Versailles allowed the Louvre to be used as residence for many painters and artists, beginning the shift to a museum; however, this transformation was not finished until the French Revolution.[8][13]

French Revolution

The Richelieu Wing of the Louvre at night
The Richelieu Wing of the Louvre at night
The Louvre as a showplace for artwork dates from the time of François I, but it was not until after the French Revolution that the "Muséum Central des Arts" became public.[8][17] On 10 August 1792, the Bourbon monarchy collapsed, and Louis XVI was imprisoned. The royal collection was declared national property and the National Assembly officially turned the palace into a museum.[17] The existing royal collection was combined with appropriated Church property from 1789.[12]

The museum opened 10 August 1793 with fanfare: public viewing of the ancien régime's collection was seen as a "benefit of Liberty" and thus a byproduct of the revolution.[17] The opening was hectic, artists lived in residence, and works were placed randomly throughout the palace. To expand and organize the collection, the Republic dedicated 100,000 livres per year.[4] In 1794, France's revolutionary armies began bringing pieces from across Europe, such as Laocoön and His Sons and the Apollo Belvedere, to establish the Louvre as a major museum and establish the Louvre as a symbol of revolutionary progress.[17][8][12]

Napoleon

Antonio Canova's Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss was commissioned in 1787, and the first version was donated to the Louvre after the reign of Napoleon I in 1824.<!-- cite web -->
Antonio Canova's Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss was commissioned in 1787, and the first version was donated to the Louvre after the reign of Napoleon I in 1824.[18]
Under Napoleon, the museum augmented its collection through successful military campaigns. Following the Egyptian campaign of 1798–1801, Napoleon appointed the museum's first director, Dominique Vivant. In tribute, the museum was renamed the "Musée Napoléon" in 1803, and Spanish, Austrian, Dutch, and Italian works were acquired as spoils. These were met by gleeful Parisians, who escorted the works to the museum from the quais of the Seine.[4]

After the French defeat at Waterloo, the former owners of many works sought their return. The Louvre's administrators were loathe to comply and hid many in their private collections. In response, foreign states sent emissaries to London to seek help, and the pieces were returned. The diminished Louvre began adding articles from other Parisian institutions such as the Luxembourg Palace, from which the Rubens collection, the Life of St. Bruno, and works by Vernet were acquired.[4]

19th century after Napoleon

The Venus de Milo was added to the Louvre's collection during the reign of Louis XVIII.
The Venus de Milo was added to the Louvre's collection during the reign of Louis XVIII.
During the Restoration (1814–30), Louis XVIII and Charles X together added 135 pieces at a cost of 720,000 francs. This was less than the amount given for rehabilitation of Versailles, and the Louvre suffered relative to the rest of Paris. After the creation of the French Second Republic in 1848, the new government allocated two million francs for repair work neglected by the monarchy and ordered the completion of the Galerie d'Apollon, the Salon Carré, and the Grande Galerie.[4]

On 2 December 1851, President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte staged a coup d'état, ushering in the Second French Empire. Between 1852 and 1870, the French economy grew; the museum added 20,000 new pieces to its collections, and the Pavillon de Flore was remodeled under Visconti and Hector Lefuel.[4][12] Thousands of works, including 200 paintings, bronzes, and sculptures, arrived after the acquisition of the Campana museum. These additions included the Sarcophagus of a Married Couple, jewelry, and various maiolicas.[12] Purchases and gifts of 133 works and 256 pieces given to the institution were styled the Collection Lacaze, including Rembrandts such as Bathsheba at Her Bath.[12] This growth period continued into the 20th century, when it became evident the Louvre was too small for the amount of work displayed.[4]

Third Republic to present

The French Third Republic began with France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and the Second Empire's fall. During this period, the Louvre acquired new pieces via donations and large gifts, such as those from Baron Devaillier and Madame Boucicaut. The Société des Amis du Louvre donated the Pieta of Villeneuve lès Avignon, and in 1863 the sculpture Winged Victory of Samothrace was uncovered in an expedition to the Aegean Sea. This piece, though heavy damaged, is one of the Louvre's most valuable and has been prominently displayed since 1884.[4][12]

This growth was disrupted by the World Wars, when valuable pieces were hidden, including the Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa. After the wars, the museum was unable to acquire many significant works, with the exceptions of Georges de la Tour's Saint Thomas and Baron Edmond de Rothschild's (1845–1934) 1935 donation of 40,000 engravings, 3,000 drawings, and 500 illustrated books.[12]

The Louvre today is both a monument and a comprehensive museum. It contains elements of its medieval beginnings, Renaissance additions, neoclassical renovations, and recent modifications, such as elevators.[5] The Louvre is notable in popular culture, having been a point of interest in the book The Da Vinci Code.[19]

Axe historique

Per the diagram, the Louvre is unaligned with axe historique; the garden surrounding the destroyed Tuileries palace is aligned, the courtyard is not.
Per the diagram, the Louvre is unaligned with axe historique; the garden surrounding the destroyed Tuileries palace is aligned, the courtyard is not.

The destroyed Tuileries Palace (once connected to the Louvre), lies at the eastern end of the Axe historique (Historic Axis), an 8-kilometre (5 mi) line of sight beginning at La Défense that includes the Champs Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe. The Axis was begun in 1572, when architect André Le Nôtre planted a line of trees from the Louvre's courtyard to the Tuileries. [20] In 1871, when the Paris Commune burned down the palace, it exposed that the Louvre was unaligned to the Axis, despite having appeared aligned the same sight line as the Champs Élysées. [21]

Grand Louvre and the Pyramids

In 1983, President Francois Mitterand proposed his Grand Louvre plan to renovate the building, and relocate the Finance Ministry, allowing displays throughout the building. Architect I.M. Pei was awarded the project and proposed a glass pyramid for the central courtyard that, he argued, created a "strong symbolic element . . . delicate and stable, correctly proportioned so as not to overwhelm the architecture of the Louvre, but rearing its point there. . . . ." [5] The pyramid and its underground lobby, which enclose the entrance area, were inaugurated on 15 October 1988. The second phase of the Grand Louvre plan, La Pyramide Inversée (The Inverted Pyramid), was completed in 1993. [5]

The Louvre Museum courtyard at night, with the Pyramid displayed at centre.
The Louvre Museum courtyard at night, with the Pyramid displayed at centre.

Departments and organization

The Musée du Louvre contains more than 380,000 objects and displays 35,000 works of art in eight curatorial departments. More than of exhibition space is dedicated to the permanent collection.[22] According to the 2005 annual report, the collection's 11,900 Western paintings constitute the second largest after the State Hermitage. 6,000 paintings are on permanent display, and 5,900 are in storage. Besides paintings, the Louvre exhibits sculptures, objets d'art, and archaeological finds.[4][12] Oversight is carried out by 2,000 employees who are led by Director Henri Loyrette.[23]

Decorative arts

The Diadem of the Duchess of Angoulême contains gold, gilt silver, 40 emeralds and 1,031 diamonds. The crown matches an emerald necklace made by Paul-Nicolas Menière in 1814 and is housed in the Decorative Arts department.
The Diadem of the Duchess of Angoulême contains gold, gilt silver, 40 emeralds and 1,031 diamonds. The crown matches an emerald necklace made by Paul-Nicolas Menière in 1814 and is housed in the Decorative Arts department.
The decorative art displays span from the Middle Ages to the mid-19th century. The department began as a subset of the sculpture department, through both appropriation of royal property after the revolution and the transfer of work from the Basilique Saint-Denis, the burial ground of French monarchs that held the Coronation Sword of the Kings of France.[12][5] Among the budding collection's most prized works were pietre dure vases and bronzes. The Durand collection's 1825 acquisition added "ceramics, enamels, and stained glass", and 800 additional pieces were given by Pierre Revoil. The onset of Romanticism rekindled interest in Renaissance and Medieval artwork, and the Sauvageot donation expanded the department's such holdings with 1,500 middle-age and faience works. In 1862, the Campana collection added gold jewelry and maiolicas, mainly from the 15th and 16th centuries.[5][24]

The works are displayed on the Richelieu Wing's first floor and in the Apollo Gallery, named by painter Charles Le Brun, who was commissioned by Louis XIV, the "Sun King", to decorate the space with his theme. The medieval collection notably contains the coronation crown of Louis XIV, Charles V's sceptre, and the 12th century porphyry vase.[25] The Renaissance art holdings include Giambologna's bronze Nessus and Deianira and the tapestry Maximillian's Hunt.[12] From later periods, highlights include Madame de Pompadour's Sevres vase collection and Napoleon III's apartments.[12]

Egyptian antiquities

The Seated Scribe is a piece added to the Louvre's collection from the findings of Auguste Mariette and dates from between 2600 and 2350 BCE. The limestone and alabaster work was found in a tomb near Saqqara. This piece is noted for its
The Seated Scribe is a piece added to the Louvre's collection from the findings of Auguste Mariette and dates from between 2600 and 2350 BCE. The limestone and alabaster work was found in a tomb near Saqqara. This piece is noted for its "lifelike expression".[5]
Egyptian Antiquities attests to 19th century French Egyptology and holds over 50,000 pieces from the Nile civilizations dating from 4,000 BCE to the 4th century CE and spanning Ancient Egypt, the Middle Kingdom, the New Kingdom, Coptic art, and the Roman, Ptolemaic, and Byzantine periods.[25] The department's comprehensiveness allows an overview of Egptian life. Egyptian artifacts from the royal collection predate the department and Napoleon, but European interest in Egypt was augmented by Napoleon's 1798 expeditionary trip in which Dominique Vivant, future director of the Louvre, participated.[5][26] The department opened in 1826 after a decree by King Charles X, impressed by Rosetta Stone translator Jean-François Champollion. The collection expanded with 2,500 works from Durand's holdings and 4,000 from the "Egyptian Consul to Alexandria".[5] The department continued to grow with acquisitions by Auguste Mariette, founder of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo who, after being dispatched to Egypt, sent back crates of archaeological finds including The Seated Scribe.[26]

Guarded by the Large Sphinx and housed primarily in over 20 rooms throughout the Cour Carée and Denon Wing, the collection includes art, papyrus scrolls, mummies, tools, clothing, jewelry, games, musical instruments, and weapons.[5] Significant holdings from the Ancient period include the Gebel-el Arak knife from 3400 BCE, The Seated Scribe, and the Head of King Djedefre. The Middle Kingdom moved from realism to idealization, exemplified by the sandstone statue of Amenemhatankh and the wooden Offering Bearer.[25] The New Kingdom and Coptic Egyptian sections are profound, but the statue of the goddess Nephthys and the limestone depiction of the goddess Hathor are cited as exemplifying New Kingdom sentiment.[25][26]

Greek, Etruscan, and Roman

A marble female head dating from the second millennium BCE. Although there appears to be no facial features aside from the nose, traces of pigment from other pieces indicate that these were added with paint.
A marble female head dating from the second millennium BCE. Although there appears to be no facial features aside from the nose, traces of pigment from other pieces indicate that these were added with paint.[5]
The Greek, Etruscan, and Roman department displays pieces from the Mediterranean Basin dating from the Neolithic to the 6th century CE.[27] The encyclopedic collection compromises the Cycladic period (notably the marble Female Head, which dates to between 2700 and 2400 BCE), to the decline of the Roman Empire and showcases ceramics, marbles, ivories, frescoes, glass work, and precious metal items.[25] As with the Egyptian collection, this department began with appropriated royal art, some of which had been acquired under François I in the Salle des Caryatides.[5] Initially, the collection focused on marble sculptures, such as the Venus de Milo. Works such as the Apollo Belvedere arrived during the Napoleonic Wars, but many of these pieces were returned after Napoleon's fall in 1815. In the 19th century the Louvre acquired vases from the Durand collection, bronzes such as the Borghese Vase from the Bibliothèque nationale, and work in other mediums.[5][27]

The collection's vastness makes selection of notable works difficult.[25] From the archaic, the limestone Lady of Auxerre and Hera of Samos highlight two trends as the austere Lady contrasts the "cylindrical delicacy" of Hera.[25] After the 4th century BCE, focus on the human form increased, exemplified by the Borghese Gladiator, although the Winged Victory of Samothrace (190 BCE) and the Venus de Milo, which "symboliz[es] classical art", are among the most well-known of the Louvre's holdings.[25][5] In the galleries paralleling the Seine, much of the expansive collection of Roman sculpture is displayed.[27] The Roman portraiture is particularly representative of that genre; examples include the portraits of Agrippa and Annius Verus; among the bronzes is the Greek Apollo of Piombino, which can be contrasted to the later portraits.[25] Also notable are the Greek vases such as Eupronios' Heracles and Antaeus that offer a full perspective on all stylistic schools from the 9th century to the 2nd century BCE.[25]

Islamic art

Human-headed winged bulls and reliefs from Khorsabad.
Human-headed winged bulls and reliefs from Khorsabad.
The Islamic art collection, the museum's youngest, spans "thirteen centuries and three continents".[28] These exhibits, composed of ceramics, glass, metalware, wood, ivory, carpet, textiles, and miniatures, include more than 5,000 works and 1,000 shards.[29] Originally part of the decorative arts department, the holdings became separate in 2003. Prime amongst the works are the Pyxide d'al-Mughira, an ivory box dating to 968 CE from Andalusia, and the Baptistery of Saint-Louis, an engraved brass basin from the 13th or 14 century Mamluk period.[5][28] The collection further contains three pages of the Shahnameh, an epic poem by Ferdowsi written entirely in Persian, and a Syrian metalwork named the Barberini Vase.[29]

Near Eastern antiquities

This Assyrian human-headed winged bull (lamassu), dating to the 8th century BCE, was part of Paul-Émile Botta's excavation and one of the earliest pieces in the Louvre collection.
This Assyrian human-headed winged bull (lamassu), dating to the 8th century BCE, was part of Paul-Émile Botta's excavation and one of the earliest pieces in the Louvre collection.
Near Eastern antiquities, the second youngest department, dates from 1881 and presents an overview of early Near Eastern civilization and "first settlements", before the arrival of Islam.[25][30] The section's development corresponds with archaeological work in the Levant, Mesopotamia, and Iran, beginning notably with Paul-Émile Botta's 1843 expedition to Khorsabad from which the Louvre's Assyrian museuem was founded after the discovery of Sargon II's palace.[5] The early holdings were augmented by Claude Schafeffer's excavations in Ras-Shamra and Andre Parrot's work in Mari, Syria.[25]

Particularly notable are the Louvre's exhibits from Sumer and the city of Akkad, with monuments such as the Prince of Lagash's Stele of the Vultures from 2,450 BCE and the stele erected under Naram-Suen, King of Akkad, to celebrate a victory over barbarians in the Zagros Mountains. One of the most renowned pieces is the Code of Hammurabi, discovered in 1901. The basalt stele displayed Babylonian Law prominently, in order that no man could plead ignorance of the laws.[25][30]

Paintings

The paintings collection has more than 6,000 works from the 13th century to 1848, nearly two-thirds by French artists, with more than 1,200 Northern European pieces, and an outstanding Italian collection.[5] The holdings are perhaps the "most complete" collection of Western pictorial art, although they are not the world's largest.[25] The 12 curators of the paintings department oversee the arrangement and display of the collection, which predates the Louvre as a museum. The use of the Louvre as a depository for painted works in the Royal Collection began with François I, who envisioned a collection rivaling the great Italian ones, and began to deposit paintings in the fortress,[25] acquiring works from Italian masters such as Raphael and Michelangelo and attracting Leonardo Da Vinci to his court.[31]

After the French Revolution, the Royal Collection formed the nucleus of the Louvre. The collection grew through the First French Empire during Napoleon's European Wars, mostly via shipments of wartime spoils, by no means all of which were returned after 1815. When the d'Orsay train station was converted into the Musée d'Orsay in 1986, the painting collection was split, and the pieces completed after the 1848 Revolution were moved to the new museum. French and Northern European works are in the Richelieu wing and Cour Carrée, while Spanish and Italian paintings are on the first floor of the Denon wing.[31]

The Coronation of Napoleon (1806) by Jacques-Louis David. David was permitted to attend the coronation and executed the painting for 24,000 francs.
The Coronation of Napoleon (1806) by Jacques-Louis David. David was permitted to attend the coronation and executed the painting for 24,000 francs.
Particularly exemplifying the French School are the early Avignon Pieta of Enguerrand Quarton; Jean Fouquet's King Jean le Bon, the first known French easel painting; Hyacinthe Rigaud's Louis XIV; Jacques-Louis David's The Coronation of Napoleon; and Eugene Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People, commemorating the July Revolution.[25][5] Notable Northern European works include Johannes Vermeer's The Lacemaker and The Astronomer; Caspar David Friedrich's Tree of Crows; Rembrandt's The Supper at Emmaus, Bathsheba at Her Bath, and The Slaughtered Ox. The Italian paintings, some drawn from François I's collection, include Andrea Mantegna's Calvary and Saint Sebastian; Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and Virgin of the Rocks; and Caravaggio's The Fortune Teller and Death of the Virgin.[5]

Prints and drawings

The prints and drawings department collects works on paper and has more than 100,000 items.[5] The origin of the collection was the 8,600 works in the Royal Collection, the Cabinet du Roi, augmented through state appropriation, purchases such as the 1,200 works from Fillipo Baldinucci's collection in 1806, and donations.[5][32] As with the paintings department, the collection also grew from military campaigns during Napoleon's reign.[32] The department was opened for public viewing on 5 August 1797.[25] The large collection is now organized into three sections: the core Cabinet du Roi with new additions, 14,000 royal copper printing-plates, and the donations of Edmond de Rothschild, which include 40,000 prints, 3,000 drawings, and 5,000 illustrated books. The vast holdings are now displayed in the Pavillon de Flore, but because of the fragility of the paper medium and the works' sensitivity to light, only a small portion are displayed at one time,[25][33] though visits to the print room can be arranged.

Sculptures

Tomb of Philippe Pot, governor of Burgundy under Louis XI, by Antoine le Moiturier
Tomb of Philippe Pot, governor of Burgundy under Louis XI, by Antoine le Moiturier
The sculptures department contains work created before 1850 that does not belong in the Etruscan, Greek, and Roman department.[34] The Louvre has been a repository of sculpted material since its time as a palace; however, since only ancient architecture was considered suitable for study, the first display of medieval, Renaissance, and modern sculpture did not occur until 1824 except for Michelangelo's Dying Slave and Rebellious Slave.[5] Initially, the collection was small, with 100 pieces, due to the government's focus on Versailles. It remained so until 1847, when Léon Laborde was given control of the department. Laborde developed the medieval section and purchased the first such statues and sculpture in the collection, King Childebert and stanga door, respectively.[5] Initially, the collection was part of the department of antiquities but was given autonomy in 1871 under Louis Courajod, a director who organized a wider representation of French works.[34][5] In 1986 all works from after 1850 were relocated to the new Musée d'Orsay. As part of the Grand Louvre project, the sculpture department was separated into two exhibition spaces; the French collection is displayed in the Richelieu wing, while foreign works are located throughout the Denon wing.[34]

The sculpture collection's comprehensive overview of French sculpture includes Romanesque works such as the 11th century Daniel in the Lions' Den and the 12th century Virgin of Auvergne. In the 16th century, Renaissance influence caused French sculpture to become more delicate and restrained, as can be seen in Jean Goujon's bas-reliefs, and Germain Pilon's Descent from the Cross and Resurrection of Christ. The 17th and 18th centuries are represented by Étienne Maurice Falconet's Woman Bathing and Amour menaçant and François Anguier's obelisks. The neoclassical period highlights include Antonio Canova's Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss (1787), one of the Louvre's most famous works and one that demonstrates the period's emphasis on emotion and love.[25][5]

Controversies

The Louvre has been involved in its share of controversies, notably surrounding the restitution of cultural property. Debate surrounds cultural property seized during World War II by the German occupiers. After the war, more than 60,000 articles were returned to France. Of those, nearly 2,000 objects that did not have clear ownership, and were claimed by Israelis and Jews were retained by French museums, including the Louvre. In 1997, Prime Minister Alain Juppé initiated the Mattéoli Commission, named after concentration camp survivor Jean Mattéoli, to investigate the matter, and "according to the government[,] the Louvre continues to hold 678 pieces of artwork."[35] Additionally, discussion continues over the Italian and Northern European pieces acquired by the French military during the course of Napoleon's campaigns as well as antiquities held by the Louvre that were taken during excavations, particularly in Egypt and the Near East. The Louvre administration has argued in favor of retaining these items despite requests by source nations for their return, and it participates in arbitration sessions held via UNESCO's Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to Its Countries of Origin.[36]

Satellite museums

Lens

In 2004, French officials decided to build a satellite museum on the site of an abandoned coal pit in the former mining town of Lens in order to relieve the crowded Paris Louvre, increase total museum visits, and improve the industrial north's economy.[37] Six cities were considered for the project: Amiens, Arras, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Calais, Lens, and Valenciennes. In 2004, French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin chose Lens, Pas-de-Calais, to be the site of the new building, to be called Le Louvre-Lens. Museum officials predicted that the new building, capable of receiving about 600 works of art, would attract as many as 500,000 visitors a year when it opened in 2009.[37] The architectural team of Sanaa of Tokyo, under the direction of Ryue Nishizawa and Kazuyo Sejima, was awarded the project.[38]

Abu Dhabi

In March 2007, the Louvre announced that a Louvre museum would be completed by 2012 in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. A 30-year agreement, signed by French Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres and Sheik Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, will establish a Louvre museum in downtown Abu Dhabi in exchange for ?832,000,000 (US$1.3 billion). The Louvre Abu Dhabi, designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel and the engineering firm of Buro Happold, will occupy and will be covered by a roof shaped like a flying saucer. France has agreed to rotate between 200 and 300 artworks through the Louvre Abu Dhabi during a 10-year period, to provide management expertise, and to provide four temporary exhibitions a year for 15 years. The art will come from multiple French museums, including the Louvre, the Georges Pompidou Centre, the Musée d'Orsay, Versailles, the Musée Guimet, the Musée Rodin, and the Musée du Quai Branly.[39]

Location and access

A map of the Louvre in the 1er arrondissement or Paris. Metro Lines serving the area are shown, with stations colored red. Note that the RER is not shown. Landmarks are in black.
A map of the Louvre in the 1er arrondissement or Paris. Metro Lines serving the area are shown, with stations colored red. Note that the RER is not shown. Landmarks are in black.

The museum lies in the heavily-visited centre of Paris on the Right Bank. The neighborhood, known as the 1er arrondissement, is home to the destroyed Palais des Tuileries and the Tuileries Gardens. These gardens, created in 1564 by Catherine de Medici and reorganized in 1664 by André Le Nôtre, house the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume, a contemporary art museum that was used to store Jewish cultural property from 1940 to 1944.[40]

The Pavillon de Flore and Denon Wing, parallel to the Seine River, are at 36 Quai du Louvre. From the Left Bank, the museum is across from the Pont du Carrousel or the Pont des Arts. The museum is bounded on the north by Napoleon's Rue de Rivoli and Cardinal Richelieu's former residence, the Palais Royal. To the east is the Place du Louvre.[40]

The Louvre can be reached by the Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre Métro or the Louvre-Rivoli station. The stations are named after the nearby Palais Royal, the Louvre, and the Rue de Rivoli.

See also

References

External links

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