The Louvre is the most visited and one of the oldest, largest and most famous art galleries and museums in the world.
The first royal “Castle of the Louvre” was founded in what was then the western edge of Paris by Philip Augustus in 1190, as a fortified royal palace to defend Paris on its west against Plantagenet attacks. The first building in the existing Louvre was begun in 1535, after demolition of the Old Castle (foundations of the Old Castle are now an exhibition). The architect Pierre Lescot introduced to Paris the new design vocabulary of the Renaissance, which had been developed in the chateaux of the Loire.
During his reign (1589 – 1610), King Henry IV added the Grande Galerie. Henry IV, a promoter of the arts, invited hundreds of artists and craftsmen to live and work on the building’s lower floors. This huge addition was built along the bank of the River Seine and at the time was the longest edifice of its kind in the world.
Louis XIII (1610 – 1643) completed the Denon Wing, which had been started by Catherine Medici in 1560. Today it has been renowned, as a part of the Grand Louvre Renovation Programme.
The Richelieu Wing was also built by Louis XIII. It was part of the Ministry of Economy of France, which took up most of the north wing of the palace. The Ministry was moved and the wing was renovated and turned into the magnificent galleries which were inaugurated
in 1993, the 200th anniversary of parts of the building first being opened to the public as a museum on November 8th 1793 during the French Revolution.
Napoleon I built the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in 1805 to commemorate his victories and the Jardin du Carrousel. In those times this garden was the entrance to the Palais des Tuileries.
The Louvre was still being added to by Napoleon III. The new wing 1852 – 1857, by architects Visconti and Hector Lefuel, represents the Second Empire’s verson of Neo-baroque, full of detail and laden with sculpture. Work continued until 1876.
The central courtyard of the museum, on the axis of the Champs-Élysées, is occupied by the Louvre Pyramid, built in 1989, which serves as the main entrance to the museum.
Recent Additions
The Louvre Pyramid is a glass pyramid commissioned by then French president François Mitterrand, designed by I. M. Pei and was inaugurated in 1989. This was the first renovation of the Grand Louvre Project. The pyramid covers the Louvre entresol and forms part of the new entrance into the museum.
La Pyramide Inversée (The Inverted Pyramid) is a skylight constructed in an underground shopping mall in front of the Louvre Museum in France. It may be thought of as a smaller sibling of the more famous Louvre Pyramid proper, yet turned "upside down": its upturned base is easily overlooked from outside. It is famous for being the resting place of the Holy Grail in The DaVinci Code.
Tickets
Pre-booking your tickets is not a necessity, but it is certainly recommended, tickets can be purchased from websites such as www.allo-france.com, for as little as £6 each. The best thing about pre-booking is that you can avoid the queues at the main entrance and use the priority access at the Passage Richelieu which is located approximately 100 yards from the Palais Royal – Musee du Louvre Metro station.
Free Admission is available to all under 18s and to everyone on the first Sunday of the month and on Bastille Day, July 14th.
Opening Hours
Open daily, except for Tuesdays and certain Public Holidays, from 9am-6pm Open late, until 9:45pm on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Collections
There are seven departments of the Louvre:
• Oriental Antiquities • Egyptian Antiquities • Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities • Objects d’Art • Sculpture • Paintings • Prints and Drawings
They consist of several collections each and are housed in the various wings of the museum: Sully, Denon and Richelieu.
• Oriental Antiquities
Richelieu
Mesopotamia, Ancient Iran (Ground floor) Islamic Art (Entresol) Thematic Exhibitions (Entresol)
Sully
Near East (Ground floor)
• Egyptian Antiquities
Sully
Access (Crypt of the Sphinx) (Entresol) Pharaonic Egypt (Ground and First floors) Christian Egypt (Coptic Art) (Ground floor)
Roman Antiquities (Ground floor) Bronzes and Precious Objects (First floor) Ceramics and Terracotta (First floor)
• Objects d’Arts
Richelieu
Middle Ages, Renaissance (First floor) XIX century: the First Empire (First floor) Napoleon III Apartments (First floor) Documentation Rooms (First floor) Thematic Exhibition (Entresol)
Sully
XVII – XVIII centuries (First Floor) XIX century: Restoration, July Monarchy (First floor)
French Paintings: XIV – XVII centuries (Second floor)
Sully
French Paintings: XVII – XIX centuries (Second floor) (NB recommended access is via Richelieu escalator)
Denon
French Paintings XIX century (large paintings) (First floor) Italian Paintings (First floor) Spanish Paintings (First floor) Thematic Exhibitions (Second floor)
E. de Rothschild Collection (by appointment) (First floor)
Must See
Mona Lisa (La Giaconda) (1502 – 1506) – Leonardo Da Vinci
Location - Salle d’Etats (Room of the Grand Galerie)
A 16th century oil painting on poplar wood. It is arguably the most famous painting in the world, and few other works of art have been subject to as much scrutiny, study, mythologizing and parody. The painting, a half-length portrait, depicts a woman whose gaze meets the viewer’s with an expression often described as enigmatic (see photo below). It is considered to be Da Vinci’s magnum opus.
Aphrodite of Milos (A.K.A. Venus de Milo) (Circa 130 – 90BC) – Alexandros of Antioch
Location - Denon Wing
An ancient Greek statue and one of the most famous works of ancient Greek sculpture. It is believed to depict Aphrodite (called Venus by the Romans), the Greek goddess of love and beauty. It is a marble sculpture, slightly larger than life size at 203cm (80 inches) high. Its arms and original plinth have been lost. From an inscription on its now lost plinth, it is thought to be the work of Alexandros of Antioch; it was earlier mistakenly attributed to the master sculptor Praxiteles.
Winged Victory of Samothrace
Location - Denon Wing Main Staircase
A Marble sculpture of the Greek goddess Nike (Victory), discovered in April 1863 on the island of Samothrace by the French consul and amateur archaeologist Charles Champoiseau. The statue was sent to Paris the same year, and since 1884 has dominated the Daru staircase displayed in the Louvre, while a plaster replica stands in the museum at the original location of the Sanctuary of the Great Gods on Samothrace.
The Victory is one of the great surviving masterpieces of sculpture from the Hellenistic period, despite the fact that the figure is significantly damaged, missing its head and outstretched arms. By an unknown artist, (presumably Rhodian in origin), the sculpture is thought to date from the period 220 to 190 BC.
Ceramic evidence discovered in recent excavations has revealed that the pedestal was set up about 200 BC, though some scholars still date it a early as 250 BC or as late as 180 BC.
A partial inscription on the base of the statue includes the word “Rhodius” (Rhodes), indicating that the statue was commissioned to celebrate a naval victory by Rhodes, at that time the most powerful maritime state in the Aegean. This would date the statue to 288 BC at the earliest.
Useful Information
There are plenty of toilets, cafes and shops situated all over the Louvre, all are very well signposted.
The Louvre is without doubt a must see in Paris and a great way to start your break, allow anywhere up to 5 hours to have a good look round, although believe me you will not see it all.
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