Louvre: Difference between revisions

Musée du Louvre
	Location of the Louvre in Paris
	Location within Paris
Established	1793
Location	Palais Royal, Musée du Louvre,; 75001 Paris, France
Visitors	8.3 million (2007)
Director	Henri Loyrette
Curator	Marie-Laure de Rochebrune
Public transit access	Metro, Palais Royal -- Musée du Louvre
Website	www.louvre.fr

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The Louvre(French: Musée du Louvre), in Paris, France, is one of the world's most visited art museums, an historic monument, and a national symbol.^[2]^[3] The collection contains nearly 35,000 pieces displayed over the structure's 60,000 square metres (650,000 sq ft).^[4] The museum is on the Right Bank, in the neighborhood referred to as the 1st arrondissement and lies between the Seine River and the Rue de Rivoli. The Louvre is slightly askew of the axe historique, a long architectural straightaway that cuts through the centre of Paris.^[5]

The structure, begun in 1190, originated as a fortress during the Capetian dynasty under the reign of Philip II and has been used as a residence.^[6]^[7] It was used as an art depository from the time of François I, and was opened to the public after the French Revolution. At that time, the Louvre was intended to symbolize the progress of Liberty and was a destination for many of the spoils following Napoleon's victorious armies, which enriched the museum's collection. In the 20th century, the structure was renovated to match modern museum standards during the Grand Louvre project.^[6]

The museum is divided among eight curatorial departments, contains some of the world's most celebrated artworks and displays almost every genre of Western Art. In addition, the collection displays pieces of Egyptian, Oriental, and Islamic origin. Notable works include 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.^[6]

History

Le Palais du Louvre

From 1190 to 1202, during the reign of Philip Augustus, construction commenced on a fortress which would become the Louvre.^[8]^[9]^[10] It is unknown if this was the first building to be constructed on that spot, although contemporary references suggest a predecessor.^[7]^[9] The origin of the name Louvre is murky. The historian Mary Knight Potter contends that King Philip II referred to the structure as L'Œuvre (the masterpiece) because it was the largest building in 13th-century Paris. Henri Sauval proposes a derivation from leouar (castle, fortress) which he claims to have found in an "old Latin-Saxon glossary" while Henry Sutherland Edwards posits rouvre (oak), referring to the building's location in a forest.^[5]^[9]

The only portion still extant from the medieval period is the foundation of the southeast corner.^[5] Additions were completed notably by Charles V who, in 1358, built a defensive wall around the fortress and converted the Louvre into a royal residence.^[10] Under François I, architect Pierre Lescot modified the Louvre from a fortress to the style visible today and added Jean Goujon's bas-relief sculptures while completing the west and south sides.^[11]^[12] In 1594, King Henry IV united the Palais du Louvre with the Palais des Tuileries, via the "Grand Design", which required a Grande Galerie to connect to the Pavillon de Flore on the southern end and the Pavillon de Marsan.^[11]^[13]

In 1624, the classical architects Le Vau and Lemercier completed the design of the Cour Carrée under Louis XIII and Louis XIV reigns, quadrupling the size of the old courtyard.^[14] Progress on the building halted after Louis XIV chose Versailles as his residence and the Louvre remained unchanged until the 18th century, when it began its transformation into a museum under Louis XV. However, the transformation was not finished until the French Revolution.^[9]^[11]

French Revolution

The Louvre as a showplace for artwork dates from the time of François I, but it was not until the French Revolution that the royal collection opened to the public and became the "Muséum central des Arts".^[9]^[15] On 10 August 1792, the Bourbon monarchy collapsed and Louis XVI was imprisoned and as part of the revolution all art in the royal collection was declared to be national property (biens nationaux). The National Assembly decided to turn the palace into a museum voting that the collection was in disrepair from being "dispersed" and that the matter was "urgent".^[15] The royal collection was combined with Church property, which had been appropriated by the State in 1789.^[16] With legally authorization given on 6 May 1791, the marquis de Marigny and his successor, the comte d'Angiviller began developing the Louvre's permanent collection.^[15]

The museum officially opened to the public on 10 August 1793, with much fanfare, because the display of the nation's artistic treasures was seen to be based on revolutionary ideals. The notion that the works which had once been reserved for the ancien régime were now viewable by the public was important to the nascent republic as a "benefit of Liberty".^[15] The museum's opening was hectic, as artists lived in residence and works were placed randomly throughout the old palace. However, the republic dedicated a considerable sum, 100,000 livres per year, to help the institution expand its collection with works from abroad.^[5] From 1794 onwards, France's victorious revolutionary armies brought back increasing numbers of pieces from across Europe, aiming to establish the Louvre as a major European museum and a symbol of revolutionary progress.^[15] Significant additions to the young collection were masterpieces from Italy (including the Laocoon and his sons and the Apollo Belvedere, both from the papal collection), which arrived in Paris in July 1798 with much pomp and ceremony.^[9]^[15]^[16]

Napoleon

During Napoleon's conquests throughout Europe, the museum augmented its collection and was given its first director, Dominique Vivant, baron de Denon, by Napoléon after the Egyptian campaign of 1798–1801. In tribute, the museum was renamed the "Musée Napoléon" in 1803 and many works were added to the collection from countries such as Spain, Austria, Holland, and Italy. These were often met by gleeful Parisians, who escorted the works along the quais of the Seine to the museum.^[5]

After the French defeat at Waterloo, the former owners of many recent acquisitions sought their return. The administrators of the Louvre were loathe to comply, and hid some of the works within their private collections. In response, foreign states sent emissaries to London to seek help in requiring the French to comply. Eventually, many of the pieces were returned, and 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.^[5]

19th century after Napoleon

After the fall of Napoleon, during the Restoration (1814-1830), the monarchies of Louis XVIII and Charles X together added 135 pieces at a cost of 720,000 francs. This was considerably 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, additions which face the Seine.^[5]

On 2 December 1851, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, who had been elected President of the Republic, staged a coup d'état by dissolving the National Assembly and ushering in the Second French Empire. Between 1852 and 1870, the French economy grew and the museum added 20,000 new pieces to its collections and the link to the Tuileries was completed via the Pavillon de Flore.^[5]^[16] Several thousand artworks, including 200 paintings and many bronzes and sculptures arrived after the acquisition of the Campana museum. These additions included the Sarcophagus of a Married Couple, jewelery, and various maiolicas.^[16] Further purchases or gifts of 133 more works and 256 pieces given to the institution were styled the Collection Lacaze. These included works by Rembrandt such as Bathsheba at Her Bath.^[16] This period of rapid growth continued into the early 20th century, when it became evident that the structure was too small for the amount of work displayed.^[5]

Third Republic to present

The French Third Republic began following the demise of the Second Empire and the Franco Prussian War of 1870. 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 archaeological expedition in the Aegean Sea. This particular piece, despite being heavily damaged, is considered one of the Louvre's most valuable pieces and has been on prominent display since 1884.^[5]^[16]

This growth period was disrupted by the First and Second World Wars. During both, many of the structure's most valuable pieces were hidden, specifically the Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa. After the wars, the museum was unable to acquire many significant works, with exceptions of Georges de la Tour's Saint Thomas and the collection of prints and drawings given via the donation of Baron Edmond de Rothschild's (1845–1934) collection in 1935. This donation contained more than 40,000 engravings, nearly 3,000 drawings and 500 illustrated books.^[16]

Modern developments

The Louvre today is a monument and comprehensive museum. The structure contains elements of the medieval beginnings, Renaissance additions, renovations in Neo-Classical style, and recent modifications such as elevators.^[6] The contemporary Louvre is also notable in popular culture, having been a point of interest in the movie The Da Vinci Code.^[18]

Axe historique

The destroyed Tuileries Palace, once connected to the Louvre, lay at the eastern end of the Axe historique (Historic Axis), an 8-kilometre (5 mi) long straightaway that begins at La Défense and includes the Champs Élysées and Arc de Triomphe. The axis was begun in 1572 when architect André Le Nôtre planted a line of trees from the Louvre courtyard to the Tuileries.^[19] In 1871, when the Paris Commune burned the palace to the ground, it became possible to see that the Louvre was not aligned on the long axis. The museum had appeared to be along the same sight line as the Champs Élysées, but after destruction of the palace, it was clear that it was not.^[20]

Pyramid and Grand Louvre

French President Francois Mitterand proposed to enhance the Louvre in 1983. His plans included the renovation of the building and moving the Finance Ministry out of the Louvre which permitted the entire structure to be used for display. I.M. Pei, a Chinese-American architect, was awarded the project and proposed a glass pyramid for the central courtyard, which 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..."^[6] The pyramid and underground lobby, which enclose the entrance area, was inaugurated on October 15, 1988.^[6]

This was the most famous renovation of the Grand Louvre Project, part of Mitterand's Grands Projets to create monuments to the role of France in art, politics, and the world economy.^[21] The Carre Gallery, where the Mona Lisa was exhibited, was also renovated.^[22]

Lens

File:Louvre-Pyramide-Interieur.jpg

View of the outside from inside the Louvre Pyramid

To relieve the crowded Paris Louvre, increase total museum visits, and improve the economy of the industrial north, French officials decided in 2004 to build a satellite museum on the site of an abandoned coal pit in the former mining town of Lens.^[23] 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.^[23] The architectural joint-venture team of Sanaa of Tokyo and the New York-based Imrey Culbert LP were awarded the project in 2005 after an international competition for the work.^[24]

Louvre 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 (US$1.3 billion). The Louvre Abu Dhabi, designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel and engineers Buro Happold, will occupy 24,000 square metres (260,000 sq ft) covered by a roof in the shape of 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.^[25]

Departments

The Musée du Louvre's collection contains more than 380,000 objects and displays 35,000 works of art drawn from eight curatorial departments. More than 60,600 square metres (652,000 sq ft) of exhibition space is dedicated to the permanent collection.^[26] According to the 2005 annual report, the collection includes 11,900 paintings, the second largest holding of western pictorial art in the world after the State Hermitage in Russia. Six thousand paintings are on permanent display, and 5,900 are in storage. Besides paintings, the Louvre exhibits include sculptures, objets d'art, and archaeological finds.^[5]^[16]

Decorative arts

The decorative arts department contains jewelry, ceramics, furniture, and tapestries. The collection began through appropriation of royal property during the 18th century after the fall of the Ancien regime. Acquisitions continued through the 19th century as pieces were moved from Sainte-Chapelle and Saint-Denis. In modern times, the apartments of Napoléon were added to the collection. The department formerly included the Bureau du Roi, completed by Jean Henri Riesener in the 18th century, but it was later returned to the Palace of Versailles.^[27]

Egyptian antiquities

The *Seated Scribe*, a piece added to the Louvre's collection from the findings of Auguste Mariette

The Louvre contains a large collection of art from the Nile civilizations, dating from around 4000 BCE to the 4th century CE. The collection is not rooted directly in Napoléon's expeditionary trip to Egypt, which occurred between 1798 and 1801. Egyptian artifacts taken from the royal collections were displayed before the department existed. The department opened in 1826 following a decree by King Charles X, impressed by the collection of Jean-François Champollion, who was appointed director. The department grew with acquisitions by Auguste Mariette, founder of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Mariette, after being dispatched to Egypt, sent back crates of archaeological finds, including the Seated Scribe.^[28]

The collection includes art, papyrus scrolls, mummies, and artifacts. During the Grand Louvre renovation project, the collection was reorganized and split between two floors. The ground floor consists of 20 rooms dedicated to the time period and arranged chronologically. The Denon Wing houses a funerary display, including mummies.^[28]

Greek, Etruscan, and Roman

This department displays pieces coming from throughout the Mediterranean Basin and dating from the Neolithic to the 6th century. As with the Egyptian collection, the Greek, Etruscan, and Roman collections began with appropriated royal art. Initially, the collection focused on marble sculptures, such as the Venus de Milo. However, in the 19th century the Louvre acquired vases from the Durand collection, bronzes such as the Borghese Vase from the Bibliothèque nationale, and work from other mediums.

From 1975 the department underwent a reorganization during which much of the Roman sculpture was placed in the Salle d'Auguste and the Petite Galerie. Roman copies were ordered into galleries paralleling the Seine . Notable pieces in the department include the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Kore of Samos, the Lady of Auxerre, and the Venus de Milo.^[29]

Islamic art

The Islamic art collection, the youngest department in the museum, contains works spanning "thirteen centuries and three continents".^[30] The collection was originally part of the decorative arts department but became a separate department in 2003. The holdings include the Pyxide d'al-Mughira, an ivory box dating from 968 CE from Andalusia, and a basin named the Baptistry of Saint-Louis that was transferred to the museum from the royal collection in 1793.^[30]

Paintings

The paintings department currently comprises more than 6,000 works from 13th century through 1848. 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 museum structure as a depository for painted works began with François I, who envisioned a collection that would rival those in Italy. To achieve this, the king acquired works from Italian masters such as Raphael and Michelangelo. Additionally, others such as Leonardo Da Vinci were asked to attend to his court.^[31]

After the French Revolution, these works formed the nucleus of the nascent Louvre. The collection continued to grow throughout the years of the First French Empire during Napoleon's European Wars. 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 newly formed museum. French works and art from Northern Europe are in the Richelieu wing and Cour Carrée, while Spanish and Italian paintings are on the first floor of the Denon wing.^[31]

Prints and drawings

This collection is dedicated to the museum's compilation of works upon a paper medium. The first showing of the young collection occurred on 5 August 1797, when the department was opened for public viewing. Originally, the majority of pieces came from the Cabinet du Roi. As with the paintings department, the collection grew from military campaigns during Napoleon's reign. In 1806, the department was enriched with the addition of 1,200 new works from Fillipo Baldinucci's collection. The drawings have been subject to frequent moves throughout their history and reside in the Pavillon de Flore. Although the collection was initially a department in its own right, it was merged with the paintings department for a time. However, prints and drawings are once again autonomous and compromise the seventh department of the Louvre.^[32]

Sculptures

The sculpture curatorial department contains "modern" sculpture.^[33] The Louvre has been a repository of sculpted material since its time as a palace; however, the first display of medieval, Renaissance, and modern works did not occur until 1824. Initially, the collection was relatively small, with about 100 works and, because of government focus on Versaille, it remained so until 1847 when Léon Laborde was given control of the department. By 1855 there were 388 pieces on display. Initially, the collection was organized under the department of antiquities but was given autonomy in 1871, and 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 on display in the Richelieu wing, while foreign works are located throughout the Denon wing.^[33]

Location and access

A map of the Louvre in the Ier 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 Ier 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.^[34]

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 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.^[34]

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.

Notable works

Sculpture
Egyptian sculpture: The Seated Scribe
Greek sculpture: Venus de Milo, Winged Victory of Samothrace, Apollo of Piombino, Diana of Versailles
Ivory sculpture: Virgin and Child from the Sainte-Chapelle
Roman sculpture: Apollo Sauroctonos (Apollo Lizard-killer), Marcellus as Hermes Logios

Painting
Hieronymus Bosch: Ship of Fools
Antonio Canova: Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio: Death of the Virgin, Portrait of Alof de Wignacourt and his Page, The Fortune Teller
Antonio Allegri da Correggio: Venus and Cupid with a Satyr
Jacques-Louis David: Oath of the Horatii
Leonardo Da Vinci: Bacchus, Mona Lisa, St. John the Baptist, Virgin of the Rocks, The Virgin and Child with St. Anne
Eugène Delacroix: Liberty Leading the People, The Women of Algiers, Death of Sardanapalus
Antoine-Jean Gros: Bonaparte Visiting the Plague-Victims of Jaffa
Théodore Géricault: The Charging Chasseur, Raft of the Medusa
Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres: Grande Odalisque
Antonello da Messina: Christ at the Column
Andrea Mantegna: Triumph of the Virtues, St. Sebastian
Michelangelo: Dying Slave
Raphael: La belle jardinière, Self-portrait with a friend, St. George, St. Michael, St. Michael Vanquishing Satan, Portrait of Balthasar Castiglione
Johannes Vermeer: The Astronomer
Paolo Veronese: The Wedding at Cana

Other
Babylon bas relief law code: The Code of Hammurabi
Basalt inscription: Mesha Stele
Byzantine diptych: Barberini ivory
Egyptian bas relief: Dendera zodiac
Byzantine ivory triptych: Harbaville Triptych
Greek krater: Borghese Vase

References

^ Sandler, Linda (February 25, 2008). "Louvre's 8.3 Million Visitors Make It No. 1 Museum Worldwide". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2008-04-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
^ "Top 5 Most Visited Museums". Time magazine for kids. October 1, 2004. Retrieved 2008-01-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
^ "Exhibition attendance figures 2007" (pdf). The Art Newspaper. March 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-17. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ "Thirty-Five Thousand Works of Art". Musée du Louvre. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Potter, Mary Knight (1904). The Art of the Louvre. Boston: L.C. Page and Company. pp. 1–30, Chapter 1.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Mignot, Claude. The Pocket Louvre: A Visitor's Guide to 500 Works. New York City, New York: Abbeville Press. pp. p. 10. ISBN 0-7892-0578-5. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
^ ^a ^b Francis Miltoun (1910). Royal Palaces and Parks of France. L.C. Page & Co. pp. pp. 114, 115, 76. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
^ Delia Gray-Durant (2004). Art/Shop/Eat Paris. London: A&C Black. pp. pp.p. 7. ISBN 0-393-32595-4.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Edwards, Henry Sutherland (1893). Old and New Paris: Its History, Its People, and Its Places. Paris: Cassell and Co. p. 194. Retrieved 2008-04-30. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
^ ^a ^b Alexandre Gady; Pitt, Leonard (2006). Walks Through Lost Paris: A Journey Into the Heart of Historic Paris. Shoemaker & Hoard. pp. pp. 112, 113. ISBN 1-59376-103-1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ ^a ^b ^c "Structurae [fr]: Palais du Louvre (1993)". Structurae Database. Retrieved 2008-01-14.
^ The project is analyzed in the context of Parisian urbanism. Thomson, David (1984). Renaissance Paris: Architecture and Growth, 1475-1600. Berkeley: University of California. pp. 60–70.
^ Sutcliffe, Anthony (1993). Paris: An Architectural History. Yale University Press. pp. p. 31. ISBN 0300068867. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
^ Baedeker, Karl (1891). Paris and Environs: With Routes from London to Paris; Handbook for Travellers. K. Baedeker. pp. pp. 87–89. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f McClellan, Andrew (1999). Inventing the Louvre: Art, Politics, and the Origins of the Modern Museum... Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. pp. 14–20, 95–110. ISBN 0520221761. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Nave, Alain (1998). Treasures of the Louvre. Barnes & Noble Publishing. ISBN 0760710678.
^ Monaghan, Sean M. (2000). "French Sculpture 1800-1825, Canova". 19th Century Paris Project. School of Art and Design, San Jose State University. Retrieved 2008-04-24. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
^ Lunn, Martin (2004). Da Vinci code Decoded. New York: Disinformation. pp. p. 137. ISBN 0-9729529-7-7. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
^ Bowkett, Stephen; Porter, Tom (2004). Archispeak: an illustrated guide to architectural terms. London: Spon Press. ISBN 0-415-30011-8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Rogers, Elizabeth A. (2001). Landscape design: a cultural and architectural history. New York: Harry N. Abrams. pp. p. 159. ISBN 0-8109-4253-4. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
^ "Le Grand Louvre, Paris". Galinsky. 1998–2006. Retrieved 2008-04-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
^ Williams, Nicola; Berry, Oliver. Lonely Planet France. Lonely Planet Publications. pp. pp. 126–28. ISBN 1-74104-233-X. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ ^a ^b Gentleman, Amelia (December 1, 2004). "Lens puts new angle on the Louvre". Guardian. Retrieved 2008-02-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
^ "Imrey Culbert and Sanaa Win Louvre Lens Competition". Dexigner. September 30, 2005. Retrieved 2008-04-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
^ "The Louvre's Art: Priceless. The Louvre's Name: Expensive". The New York Times. March 6, 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
^ "Œuvres". Musée du Louvre. Retrieved 2008-04-27. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
^ "Decorative Arts". Musée du Louvre. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
^ ^a ^b "Egyptian Antiquities". Musée du Louvre. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
^ "Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities". Musée du Louvre. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
^ ^a ^b "Islamic Art". Musée du Louvre. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
^ ^a ^b "Paintings". Musée du Louvre. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
^ "Prints and Drawings". Musée du Louvre. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
^ ^a ^b "Sculptures". Musée du Louvre. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
^ ^a ^b Mroue, Haas H. Frommer's Paris from $90 a day. Hoboken, N.J. : Wiley, c 2004. pp. p. 176. ISBN 0-7645-5806-4. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

External links

Official Louvre website Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. (Requires Flash)
Louvre Museum
Extensive Photo Gallery from The Louvre — Photos of almost all the sculpture, many of the paintings and Objects d'Art
General views of Le Louvre
Fullscreen Virtual Tour by Virtualsweden
Excerpt of Michael T. Cannell's book on I.M. Pei — discusses controversy over Pei's pyramid.
Antiquities of the Louvre
Official École du Louvre website (Requires Flash)
Photos of Louvre museum
panoramic views of the entrance pyramid
Louvre museum: Map, contact, price, opening hours, user reviews, etc.

Template:Western European & American Paintings

Template:Link FA

[visitors-1] Sandler, Linda (February 25, 2008). "Louvre's 8.3 Million Visitors Make It No. 1 Museum Worldwide". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2008-04-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

[2] "Top 5 Most Visited Museums". Time magazine for kids. October 1, 2004. Retrieved 2008-01-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

[3] "Exhibition attendance figures 2007" (pdf). The Art Newspaper. March 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-17. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[4] "Thirty-Five Thousand Works of Art". Musée du Louvre. Retrieved 2008-04-30.

[Potter-5] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Potter, Mary Knight (1904). The Art of the Louvre. Boston: L.C. Page and Company. pp. 1–30, Chapter 1.

[Pocket-6] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Mignot, Claude. The Pocket Louvre: A Visitor's Guide to 500 Works. New York City, New York: Abbeville Press. pp. p. 10. ISBN 0-7892-0578-5. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)

[Miltoun-7] Francis Miltoun (1910). Royal Palaces and Parks of France. L.C. Page & Co. pp. pp. 114, 115, 76. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)

[Durant-8] Delia Gray-Durant (2004). Art/Shop/Eat Paris. London: A&C Black. pp. pp.p. 7. ISBN 0-393-32595-4.

[Edwards-9] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Edwards, Henry Sutherland (1893). Old and New Paris: Its History, Its People, and Its Places. Paris: Cassell and Co. p. 194. Retrieved 2008-04-30. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

[Pitt-10] Alexandre Gady; Pitt, Leonard (2006). Walks Through Lost Paris: A Journey Into the Heart of Historic Paris. Shoemaker & Hoard. pp. pp. 112, 113. ISBN 1-59376-103-1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[Structurae-11] "Structurae [fr]: Palais du Louvre (1993)". Structurae Database. Retrieved 2008-01-14.

[12] The project is analyzed in the context of Parisian urbanism. Thomson, David (1984). Renaissance Paris: Architecture and Growth, 1475-1600. Berkeley: University of California. pp. 60–70.

[Sutcliffe-13] Sutcliffe, Anthony (1993). Paris: An Architectural History. Yale University Press. pp. p. 31. ISBN 0300068867. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)

[Baedeker-14] Baedeker, Karl (1891). Paris and Environs: With Routes from London to Paris; Handbook for Travellers. K. Baedeker. pp. pp. 87–89. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)

[McClellan-15] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f McClellan, Andrew (1999). Inventing the Louvre: Art, Politics, and the Origins of the Modern Museum... Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. pp. 14–20, 95–110. ISBN 0520221761. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)

[Nave-16] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Nave, Alain (1998). Treasures of the Louvre. Barnes & Noble Publishing. ISBN 0760710678.

[French-17] Monaghan, Sean M. (2000). "French Sculpture 1800-1825, Canova". 19th Century Paris Project. School of Art and Design, San Jose State University. Retrieved 2008-04-24. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

[18] Lunn, Martin (2004). Da Vinci code Decoded. New York: Disinformation. pp. p. 137. ISBN 0-9729529-7-7. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)

[19] Bowkett, Stephen; Porter, Tom (2004). Archispeak: an illustrated guide to architectural terms. London: Spon Press. ISBN 0-415-30011-8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[20] Rogers, Elizabeth A. (2001). Landscape design: a cultural and architectural history. New York: Harry N. Abrams. pp. p. 159. ISBN 0-8109-4253-4. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)

[21] "Le Grand Louvre, Paris". Galinsky. 1998–2006. Retrieved 2008-04-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

[Williams-22] Williams, Nicola; Berry, Oliver. Lonely Planet France. Lonely Planet Publications. pp. pp. 126–28. ISBN 1-74104-233-X. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[Gentleman-23] Gentleman, Amelia (December 1, 2004). "Lens puts new angle on the Louvre". Guardian. Retrieved 2008-02-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

[24] "Imrey Culbert and Sanaa Win Louvre Lens Competition". Dexigner. September 30, 2005. Retrieved 2008-04-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

[25] "The Louvre's Art: Priceless. The Louvre's Name: Expensive". The New York Times. March 6, 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

[26] "Œuvres". Musée du Louvre. Retrieved 2008-04-27. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

[27] "Decorative Arts". Musée du Louvre. Retrieved 2008-04-30.

[Egyptian-28] "Egyptian Antiquities". Musée du Louvre. Retrieved 2008-04-30.

[29] "Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities". Musée du Louvre. Retrieved 2008-04-30.

[Islam-30] "Islamic Art". Musée du Louvre. Retrieved 2008-04-30.

[Paintings-31] "Paintings". Musée du Louvre. Retrieved 2008-04-23.

[32] "Prints and Drawings". Musée du Louvre. Retrieved 2008-04-23.

[Sculpture-33] "Sculptures". Musée du Louvre. Retrieved 2008-04-23.

[Frommer-34] Mroue, Haas H. Frommer's Paris from $90 a day. Hoboken, N.J. : Wiley, c 2004. pp. p. 176. ISBN 0-7645-5806-4. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

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@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 |location      = Palais Royal, Musée du Louvre,<br>75001 [[Paris]], [[France]]
 |type          =
-|visitors      = 8.3 million (2007)<ref name="visitors">{{cite web |last = Sandler |first = Linda|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aPK0EhcmRyUA&refer=home| title= Louvre's 8.3 Million Visitors Make It No. 1 Museum Worldwide |date= [[February 25]], [[2008]]| accessdate=2008-04-17}}</ref>
+|visitors      = 8.3 million (2007)<ref name="visitors">{{cite web |last = Sandler |first = Linda|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aPK0EhcmRyUA&refer=home| title= Louvre's 8.3 Million Visitors Make It No. 1 Museum Worldwide |date= [[February 25]], [[2008]]| accessdate=2008-04-17|publisher=Bloomberg.com}}</ref>
 |director      = Henri Loyrette
 |curator       = Marie-Laure de Rochebrune
@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 |website       = [http://www.louvre.fr/llv/commun/home_flash.jsp?bmLocale=en www.louvre.fr]
 }}
-'''The Louvre'''({{lang-fr|Musée du Louvre}}), in [[Paris]], [[France]], is one of the world's most visited art [[museum]]s, an historic monument, and a national symbol.<ref>{{cite web|title=Top 5 Most Visited Museums|work=Time magazine for kids|date=[[October 1]], [[2004]]|url=http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/class/wr/article/0,17585,702444,00.html|accessdate=2008-01-10|publisher=Bloomberg.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Exhibition attendance figures 2007|publisher=''The Art Newspaper''|date=March 2008|url= http://www.theartnewspaper.com/attfig/AttFig07.pdf |accessdate=2008-04-17|format=pdf}}</ref> The collection contains nearly 35,000&nbsp;pieces displayed over the structure's {{convert|60000|sqm|sqft}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.louvre.fr/llv/oeuvres/alaune.jsp?bmLocale=en |title=Thirty-Five Thousand Works of Art | publisher = Musée du Louvre |accessdate = 2008-04-30}}</ref> The museum is on the [[Rive Droite|Right Bank]], in the neighborhood referred to as the [[Ier arrondissement|1st arrondissement]] and lies between the [[Seine]] River and the [[Rue de Rivoli, Paris|Rue de Rivoli]]. The Louvre is slightly askew of the [[axe historique]], a long architectural straightaway that cuts through the centre of Paris.<ref name="Potter">{{cite book| last = Potter| first = Mary Knight|publisher=L.C. Page and Company |location=Boston|date=1904|title=The Art of the Louvre|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=RSZJAAAAIAAJ&pg=PR15&dq=history+of+the+louvre+seine&ei=hpKGR7OWO5_a7ALirLCVBg|pages=1&ndash;30, Chapter 1}}</ref>
+'''The Louvre'''({{lang-fr|Musée du Louvre}}), in [[Paris]], [[France]], is one of the world's most visited art [[museum]]s, an historic monument, and a national symbol.<ref>{{cite web|title=Top 5 Most Visited Museums|work=Time magazine for kids|date=[[October 1]], [[2004]]|url=http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/class/wr/article/0,17585,702444,00.html|accessdate=2008-01-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Exhibition attendance figures 2007|publisher=''The Art Newspaper''|date=March 2008|url= http://www.theartnewspaper.com/attfig/AttFig07.pdf |accessdate=2008-04-17|format=pdf}}</ref> The collection contains nearly 35,000&nbsp;pieces displayed over the structure's {{convert|60000|sqm|sqft}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.louvre.fr/llv/oeuvres/alaune.jsp?bmLocale=en |title=Thirty-Five Thousand Works of Art | publisher = Musée du Louvre |accessdate = 2008-04-30}}</ref> The museum is on the [[Rive Droite|Right Bank]], in the neighborhood referred to as the [[Ier arrondissement|1st arrondissement]] and lies between the [[Seine]] River and the [[Rue de Rivoli, Paris|Rue de Rivoli]]. The Louvre is slightly askew of the [[axe historique]], a long architectural straightaway that cuts through the centre of Paris.<ref name="Potter">{{cite book| last = Potter| first = Mary Knight|publisher=L.C. Page and Company |location=Boston|date=1904|title=The Art of the Louvre|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=RSZJAAAAIAAJ&pg=PR15&dq=history+of+the+louvre+seine&ei=hpKGR7OWO5_a7ALirLCVBg|pages=1&ndash;30, Chapter 1}}</ref>
 The structure, begun in 1190, originated as a [[Palais du Louvre|fortress]] during the [[Capetian dynasty]] under the reign of [[Philip II of France|Philip&nbsp;II]] and has been used as a residence.<ref name="Pocket">{{Cite book | author=Mignot, Claude |title=The Pocket Louvre: A Visitor's Guide to 500 Works | date= | publisher=Abbeville Press | location=[[New York City]], New York| isbn=0-7892-0578-5 | pages=p.&nbsp;10}}</ref><ref name="Miltoun">{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=JWQBAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA114&lpg=RA1-PA114&dq=pavillon+de+flore+committee&source=web&ots=trEgbHonNB&sig=pyZXTAbl4tVOvCxV7PW9ULdk5C0#PRA1-PA115,M1|title=Royal Palaces and Parks of France|author=Francis Miltoun|publisher=L.C. Page & Co|date=1910|pages=pp.&nbsp;114,&nbsp;&nbsp;115,&nbsp;76}}</ref> It was used as an art depository from the time of [[François I]], and was opened to the public after the [[French Revolution]]. At that time, the Louvre was intended to symbolize the progress of [[Liberty]] and was a destination for many of the spoils following Napoleon's victorious armies, which enriched the museum's collection. In the 20th century, the structure was renovated to match modern museum standards during the Grand Louvre project.<ref name="Pocket"/>