Paris, France: The Magnificent Louvre

Paris, France: The Magnificent Louvre

The Louvre

The Louvre Palace and the Pyramid (by day).

-Paris, France: The Magnificent Louvre:



Once the biggest palace for the ultimate King, the Louvre now houses the world's grandest art gallery with over 300,000 works of art. First open to the pubic after the French Revolution in 1793, the Louvre is one of the oldest museums in the world. Subscribe tohttp://www.youtube.com/ricksteves for weekly updates on more European destinations. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destinations and more 

• Louvre Museum_ Paris_France.

Aerial view of the Louvre Palace

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The Louvre or Louvre Museum (French: Musée du Louvre, pronounced: [myze dy luvʁ]) is one of the world's largest museums and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, France, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement (district). Nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres (652,300 square feet). With more than 8 million visitors each year, the Louvre is the world's most visited museum.

The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre), originally built as a fortress in the late 12th century under Philip II. Remnants of the fortress are visible in the basement of the museum. The building was extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace. In 1682, Louis XIV chose thePalace 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 Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres 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 in 1796 until 1801. The collection was increased under Napoleon and the museum renamed the Musée Napoléon. After the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, many works seized by his armies were returned to their original owners. The collection was further increased during the reigns ofLouis XVIII and Charles X, and during the Second French Empire the museum gained 20,000 pieces. Holdings have grown steadily through donations and gifts since the Third Republic. As of 2008, 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.

Antonio Canova's Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss was commissioned in 1787, donated in 1824


The Venus de Milo was added to the Louvre's collection during the reign of Louis XVIII.


Human-headed winged bull (shedu), Assyria, limestone, 8th century BC.


The Nike of Samothrace(winged Victory), marble, circa 190 BC

The Mona Lisa, (Leonardo da Vinci), oil on panel, 1503–19, probably completed while the artist was at the court of Francis I.

French Rococo, Diana bathing, Boucher, 1742


French Romantic art,Liberty Leading the People, Delacroix, 1830