The Louvre is the world's largest, and most famous art museum with a collection of over 300,000 works, of which 35,000 are displayed in over 60,000 square metres of exhibition space dedicated to the permanent collections.
(Note: The Louvre does not have the staff to keep every room open throughout the week so some sections may be closed)
The collection includes Egyptian antiquities; Near Eastern antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman; Islamic art; Sculpture; Decorative arts; Painting; Prints and drawings.
Highlights include the Louvre's "three great ladies": Leonardo da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa'; the armless ancient Greek statue 'Venus de Milo' and the headless statue named 'Winged Victory of Samothrace' dating from 200BC.
The museum also has works by many famous artists, including Raphael, Titian, Botticelli, Caravaggio, Rubens, Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Constable.
The collection began as a private royal gallery with Louis XIII, Henri II, and Catherine de Médicis all adding substantial works over the centuries. The collection was further enlarged by Napoleon's victories
The Louvre was originally a fortress built in the 12th century, that was later rebuilt as a Royal Palace in the 16th century. Along with the Palais des Tuileries the Louvre formed part of the royal residence until King Louis XIV moved his court to Versailles in 1678.
The Louvre was then used as offices and an art gallery, opening as a private museum in 1793. It passed into the hands of the state in 1848, but it was not until 1882 that the site began life purely as a cultural attraction.
A new archtecture feature was added between 1988 and 1993 - the glass pyramids designed by Architect I. M. Pei. The large Glass pyramid in the central courtyard of the Louvre acts as a skylight to the visitor centre below. In the underground shopping centre in front of the Louvre museum is the La Pyramide Inversée (Inverted Pyramid) which was made famous by Dan Brown's international bestseller The Da Vinci Code, which claims it marks the resting place of Mary Magdalene.
Price
Admission: 9 Euro
Opening Times
9am to 6pm
Closed Tuesdays
Closed: 1 Jan, 1 May, 11 Nov and 25 Dec
Address
Musée du Louvre
Rue de Rivoli
75001 Paris,
Tel: 01 40 20 50 50
How to Get There
Métro: Palais-Royal-Musée du Louvre - line 10
External Links
Musée du Louvre Official Web Site
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