LOUVRE

Description

Essentials about the Louvre in brief

Some people visit the Louvre just to take a quick look at the Mona Lisa. Others spend many days in its countless wings and rooms. The fact is that the Louvre is a museum of superlatives and a visit should be part of the mandatory program of a trip to Paris. After all, the Louvre is the largest art museum in the world and also the most visited of all museums worldwide. The grandiose collection includes about 380,000 works, of which about 35,000 exhibits are displayed on an area of more than 70,000 square meters.

The history of the Louvre

The origins of the Louvre

The Louvre has a long and eventful history behind it. The origin of the collection dates back to the 14th century. At that time, Duke Jean de Berry, a brother of King Charles V, amassed a collection of paintings, tapestries and illuminations, some of which are still on display in today’s exhibition. However, the real founder of the collection was King François I, the first great art collector and patron on the throne of France. He once set up a domicile for the aged Leonardo da Vinci on the Loire in 1517. After Leonardo’s death two years later, his paintings, probably including the world-famous Mona Lisa, entered the king’s collection, which at that time was still kept in Fontainebleau Castle.

The expansion of the Louvre under Cardinal Richelieu and King Louis XIV.

Cardinal Richelieu, minister under King Louis XIII, built up a large private collection at state expense in the early 17th century, most of which became the property of the crown. In 1660, the royal collection finally moved to the residence of the French kings, the Palais du Louvre. Precious works were also added to the collection under King Louis XIV. With the move of the royal court under Louis XIV to the Palace of Versailles, the Louvre was henceforth used primarily as an exhibition space.

Looted Art in the Louvre under Napoleon Bonaparte

During his campaigns in Europe, Napoleon Bonaparte commandeered many works in the European art capitals of Berlin, Rome, Venice, Vienna and many other cities. Soon, the Louvre could no longer hold the masses of looted art, so 15 branch museums of the Louvre were established throughout France as part of a large cultural program, in which the works of art were accessible to the general public for the first time. After the fall of the French Empire in 1814, the looted artworks were returned to their original homelands and the idea of branch museums was abandoned. During the 19th century, the Louvre collection was expanded through further acquisitions and donations. In 1870, after the fall of the second French Empire, the final separation from the French crown took place through the nationalization of the collection.

The Grand-Louvre under President Mitterand

The Louvre underwent its greatest architectural transformation in the 1980s and 1990s. The then President François Mitterrand initiated the “Grand-Louvre” project, with the aim of using the entire building complex of the Palais du Louvre as a museum. The most visible sign of the transformation is the newly created glass pyramid in the courtyard of the Louvre, which serves as the new main entrance area. Initially derided as a “greenhouse” and a “cheese bell,” the pyramid has since become one of Paris’ landmarks.

The collection of the Louvre

The Louvre’s collection is divided into eight sections: Egyptian Antiquities, Oriental Antiquities, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities, Islamic Art, Sculpture, Decorative Arts, Paintings, Drawings and Prints. The Louvre houses so many masterpieces and art treasures that listing them would go beyond any scope. However, the unique quality of the Greek and Roman antiquities collection, with world-famous works such as the Venus of Milo, deserves special mention. The departments of the Italian Renaissance Gallery and Flemish painting are also a major draw, with works by masters Leonardo da Vinci, Veronese, Titian, Hieronymus Bosch and Jan Vermeer. And of course, the Mona Lisa is the biggest magnet of all. If you can get a front-row seat and take a picture of the smiling lady in peace, consider yourself lucky.