The Louvre
The Louvre Museum, with its spectacular glass pyramid, is an icon of Paris and one of the world's most-visited cultural sites. Its vast and rich collections encompass all ages: from antiquity (the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory) and the Renaissance (the Mona Lisa, works by Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Titian) to 19th-century French masterpieces. The Louvre-Lens project, now underway, will see more of the enormous collection out of storage and on display at a second site in north Paris.
The museum was originally the main Royal Palace in Paris, and was built on the site of an earlier royal fortress, whose remains can be seen on the ground floor. Napoleon, who preferred the Palace of Fontainbleau, turned the Louvre into a repository for all the artworks he looted from throughout Europe - and it remains today one the top three museums in the world, alongside the British Museum and the Hermitage.
Permanent collections
Egyptian Antiquities
The permanent collection of Egyptian Antiquities presents works from c. 4000 BC to 4th century AD.
Temporary exhibitions
Meroe, Empire on the Nile
Devoted exclusively to Meroë, capital of a great empire on the Nile, two hundred works of art highlight the majesty of an ancient civilization.
26th March 2010 - 6th September 2010
Antoine Watteau and the art of engraving
A hundred engravings from the oeuvre of Antoine Watteau, mostly from the Edmond de Rothschild collection, illustrate the art of engraving in 18th C.
8th July 2010 - 11th October 2010
Roads to Arabia - Archaeological Treasures from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Over 300 works are on display, dating from Antiquity to the beginning of the modern period (sculptures, ceramics, jewellery, frescoes).
16th July 2010 - 27th September 2010
Antiquity Rediscovered - European Art between the Antique and Reinvention, 1720-1790
The “neoclassical” trend emerged in the 18th century.
3rd December 2010 - 14th February 2011
Top exhibits
Orpheus and Eurydice
Orpheus and Eurydice, c. 1650 was painted by Nicolas Poussin and is held in the Musee du Louvre, Paris, France.
La Grande Odalisque
La Grande Odalisque, 1814, was painted by Jean - Auguste Ingres and is held in the Musee du Louvre, Paris, France.
Madam Recamier
Madam Recamier, 1800 was painted by Jacques - Louis David and is held in the Louvre, Paris, France.
Charles I in Hunting Dress
Charles I in Hunting Dress, c. 1635 was painted by Sir Anthony Van Dyck and is held in the Musee du Louvre, Paris, France.
At the Races
At the Races 1869 - 1872 was painted by Edgar Degas and is held in the Musee du Louvre, Paris, France.
Related pages
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519) was a leading Italian artist from the Renaissance period.
Comments and reviews
Map
Contact information
- Website
- www.louvre.fr
Related links
Other museums nearby
Orsay Museum
The Musee d'Orsay in Paris, is housed in the former Orsay Railway station. The museum displays collections of art from the period 1848 to 1914.
Pompidou
The Pompidou Museum has one of leading collections of modern and contemporary art in Europe.
Pinacotheque de Paris
This space in Paris presents "must-see" exhibitions on leading artists.
Musee Rodin
The Rodin Museum possesses about six thousand and six hundred sculptures including the two most famous works of the Museum, The Kiss and The Thinker.
Jacquemart Andre Museum
The Jacquemart Andre mansion and collections was created by avid art collectors and bequeathed to the institut de France as a museum.
Great museum - but you need at least two visits over two days to do it justice!