About the Louvre Museum
The Louvre Museum, or the Musee du Louvre, has long played a vital role as the largest public museum in Paris. The museum, located on the Seine River in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, has one of the largest art collections in the world. The museum has more than 60,000 square feet of exhibition space.
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History
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The Louvre's beginnings date to the 12th century, when king Philippe Auguste built a fortress named "the Louvre" to protect Paris. For several centuries, the building served as a fortress or residency. In the 18th century, Louis XV opened a hall in the Louvre as exhibition space for the royal collection. In 1791, during the French Revolution, the National Assembly turned the Louvre into a public museum. The museum opened in 1793. The museum's collection expanded significantly under Napoleon I as well as during the restoration under Louis XVIII and Charles X. Architect I.M. Pei designed the famous glass pyramid for the Louvre, which was completed in 1989.
Collection
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As of 2010, the Louvre Museum's collection contains more than 35,000 works. This collection spans Western art from Medieval times to 1848, as well as ancient artifacts and Islamic art. The museum organizes its collection into eight curatorial departments, including Near Eastern antiquities, Egyptian antiquities, Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiquities, Islamic art, sculptures, decorative arts, paintings and prints and drawings.
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Masterpieces
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The Louvre Museum's collection includes some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures. Some of the museum's most famous masterpieces include the ancient Greek "Venus de Milo," Leonardo da Vinci's "Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo," or the "Mona Lisa," Eugene Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People," Jacques-Louis David's "The Oath of the Horatii," Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres' "Odalisque" and Theodore Gericault's "The Raft of the Medusa."
Visiting
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You can visit the Louvre any day of the week except Tuesday. The museum closes on four French holidays, including Dec. 25, Jan. 1, May 1 and Aug. 15. The museum remains open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday and from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday. Most visitors have to pay a small admission fee to enter the museum, but visitors under the age of 18, European Union residents under the age of 25, art teachers and unemployed visitors can get into the museum for free. Book group visits in advance.
Events
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The Louvre hosts a variety of events, including classes for students, teachers and social workers, and public events at museum's auditorium. Events that take place at the museum's auditorium include concerts, films, lectures, symposia, readings and performances. Visit the museum's website for event scheduling and ticket information.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit venus from milo image by Tomasz Cebo from Fotolia.com
