Louvre

The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement (district or ward) and home to some of the most canonical works of Western art, including the ''Mona Lisa,'' ''Venus de Milo,'' and ''Winged Victory''. The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built in the late 12th to 13th century under Philip II. Remnants of the Medieval Louvre fortress are visible in the basement of the museum. Due to urban expansion, the fortress eventually lost its defensive function, and in 1546 Francis I converted it into the primary residence of the French kings.

The building was redesigned and extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace. In 1682, Louis XIV chose the Palace of Versailles for his household, leaving the Louvre primarily as a place to display the royal collection, including, from 1692, a collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture. In 1692, the building was occupied by the and the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, which in 1699 held the first of a series of salons. The Académie remained at the Louvre for 100 years. During the French Revolution, the National Assembly decreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum to display the nation's masterpieces.

The museum opened on 10 August 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings, the majority of the works being royal and confiscated church property. Because of structural problems with the building, the museum was closed from 1796 until 1801. The collection was increased under Napoleon and the museum was renamed ''Musée Napoléon'', but after Napoleon's abdication, many works seized by his armies were returned to their original owners. The collection was further increased during the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, and during the Second French Empire the museum gained 20,000 pieces. Holdings have grown steadily through donations and bequests since the Third Republic. The collection is divided among eight curatorial departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; Paintings; Prints and Drawings.

The Musée du Louvre contains approximately 500,000 objects and displays 35,000 works of art in eight curatorial departments with more than dedicated to the permanent collection. The Louvre exhibits sculptures, objets d'art, paintings, drawings, and archaeological finds. At any given point in time, approximately 38,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are being exhibited over an area of , making it the largest museum in the world. It received 8.9 million visitors in 2023, 14 percent more than in 2022, but still below the 10.1 million visitors in 2018. The Louvre is the most-visited museum in the world, ahead of the second-place Vatican Museums. Provided by Wikipedia
Showing 1 - 20 results of 184 for search 'Musée du Louvre', query time: 0.04s Refine Results
  1. 1

    Exposition Nicolas Poussin : mai-juillet, 1960 /

    Published 1960
    “…Musée du Louvre…”
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    Flowers in the Louvre / by Lis, Michel

    Published 2009
    “…Musée du Louvre…”
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  5. 5

    Food in the Louvre / by Bocuse, Paul, 1926-2018

    Published 2009
    “…Musée du Louvre…”
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  6. 6

    Treasures of the Louvre /

    Published 1966
    “…Musée du Louvre…”
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    The Choiseul marble / by Pritchett, W. Kendrick (William Kendrick), 1909-2007

    Published 1970
    “…Musée du Louvre…”
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    Vingt ans d'acquisitions au Musée du Louvre, 1947-1967 /

    Published 1967
    “…Musée du Louvre…”
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    Ludovico Carracci / by Loisel, Catherine

    Published 2004
    “…Musée du Louvre…”
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    Tissus coptes du Musée du Louvre. by Pfister, R.

    Published 1932
    “…Musée du Louvre…”
    Patrons must make an appointment to view Lib Use Only items
    Book
  12. 12

    Louis XVth's style furniture in the Louvre : collected documents /

    Published 1910
    “…Musée du Louvre…”
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    The Louvre at night /

    Published 1953
    “…Musée du Louvre…”
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    Cathédrales : sculptures, vitraux, objets d'art, manuscrits des XIIe et XIIIe siècles /

    Published 1962
    “…Musée du Louvre…”
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    La sculpture grecque et romaine au Musée du Louvre /

    Published 1964
    “…Musée du Louvre…”
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    French portraits, 14th-15th-16th centuries, Louvre Museum /

    Published 1950
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  18. 18

    Largesse / by Starobinski, Jean

    Published 1994
    “…Musée du Louvre…”
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    Porphyre : la pierre pourpre des Ptolémées aux Bonaparte / by Malgouyres, Philippe

    Published 2003
    “…Musée du Louvre…”
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    Mémoires d'aveugle : l'autoportrait et autres ruines / by Derrida, Jacques

    Published 1990
    “…Musée du Louvre…”
    Book
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