The Louvre Museum in Paris, France, is the largest museum in the world. In 2005, it received a record 7.3 million visitors. The building was a former royal palace and lies in the center of Paris. It's central courtyard is now occupied by the Louvre Pyramid. Part of the royal Palace of the Louvre was first opened to the public as a museum on November 8, 1793, during the French Revolution.

The first royal "Castle of the Louvre" on this site was founded by Philip Augustus in 1190, as a fortress to defend Paris's west side against Viking attacks. During the 1300s, Charles V converted it into a palace for the arts, but Francois I and Henri II destructed it to build a real palace. The existing part of the Louvre was begun in 1535. During King Henry IV reign (1589-1610), he added the Grande Galerie. This addition was built along the bank of the River Seine and at the time was the longest edifice of its kind in the world. It is more than a quarter of a mile long and one hundred feet wide. Henry IV was a promoter of the arts, and invited hundreds of artists and craftsmen to work and live in this building's lower floors. This was a tradition that continued for another two hundred years until Napoleon III ended it.

Louis XIII completed the Denon Wing, which had been started by Cartherine Medici in 1560, and he also constructed the Richelieu Wing. It was part of the Ministry of Economy of France, which took up most of the north wing of the palace. The Ministry moved and the wing was later renovated and transformed into grand galleries which were inaugurated in 1993, on the 200th anniversary of the Louvre Museum.

Commissioned by King Louis XIV, architect Claude Parrault's eastern wing (1665-1680), crowned by an uncompromising Italian balustrade along its distinctly non-French flat roof, was a ground-breaking departure in French architecture. The Louvre was still being added to by Napoleon III. The new wing of 1852-1857, by architects Visconti and Hector Lefuel, represents the Second Empire's version of Neo-baroque, full of detail and laden with sculpture. Work continued until 1876. In 1989, the glass Louvre Pyramid, designed by I. M. Pei, was inaugurated. It was the first renovation of the Grand Louvre Project. The Carre Gallery, where the Mona Lise is exhibited, has also been renovated.

The Louvre holds the rich artistic heritage of the French from the early Capetian Kings through the Empire of Napoleon Bonaparte to 1848. Later works are shown at the Musee d'Orsay and Contemporary art is at Pompidou Center. Long managed by the French state under the Reunion des Musees Nationaux, the Louvre has recently acquired the power of self-management as an "Etablissement Public Autonome" in order to better manage its growth and prosperity. Since September 14, 2005, the Louvre museum has gradually forbidden the taking of photos of its artworks.

Among the many thousands of priceless works of art in the Louvre is Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, the most famous painting in the world, housed in the Salle des Etats in a climate-controlled environment behind protective glass. Works of artists like Fragonard, Rembrandt, Rubens, Titian, Poussin, and David can also be seen. Among the well-known sculptures in the collection are the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo. Besides art, the Louvre has many other types of exhibits, including archeology, history, and architecture.


Article wrote by Malum (CL4)

Go Back >>