Part 2 - Fun Facts:
According to Condé Nast Traveler (owner of Vogue Magazine), it would take approximately 200 days to see all the art work in the Paris Louvre and that is with spending only 30 seconds per painting or artifact.
King Francis l, in 1549, demolish the then existing structure (a castle and fortress) and began building the royal palace we see today and now call the Paris Louvre.
Remains of the original medival fortress walls are open to visitors. It’s actually underneath the Louvre itself.
Subsequent French kings and emperors contributed greatly to the architectural development of the Louvre. In addition, many were avid art collectors and displayed favorite paintings and sculptures throughout the royal residence.
Massacre at Chios (Delacroix)
Dying Slave (Michelangelo)
Lamps (Egyptian)
The vast art collection of the Paris Louvre includes artifacts from European antiquities to the mid- nineteenth century. 1848 to be exact. Artistic works after 1848 were placed in the collections of the Musée d’Orsay (1986).
In 2018, the Louvre saw 10.2 million visitors.
Portrait of Mariana Waldstein (Goya)
Hellenistic (Greek)
Christian Art (Ethiopian)
When in 1682, King Louis XlV moved his court to Versailles, the French government began using the former royal residence as an art academy for instruction and exhibitions.
The Paris Louvre was opened to the public as an art museum in 1793.
Dante and Virgil in Hell (Delacroix)
Exterior Facade (Paris Louvre Museum)
Old Man and Young Boy (Ghirlandaio)
In the early days of WWll, museum and government officials transported art work, deemed important, to French country estates and châteaux in an effort to protect it from Nazi looting and bombing raids.
The Nazi’s used the Louvre as a storage site to house art stolen from wealthy French citizens including Jewish families.
Spiral Staircase/ Elevator (Pyramid Interior)
Venus, Three Graces Offer Presents (Botticelli) Lady Macbeth Sleepwalking (Füssli)
During the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte the Louvre was called - Musée Napoleon.
The Paris Louvre’s most famous work of art is not French but Italian - the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. Unfortunately, due to multiple attempts to damage the painting over the years, museum visitors are unable to stand very close to the masterpiece. It is now housed in a bulletproof glass case and separated from visitors by a wooden barrier.
Christ On The Cross, Two Donors (El Greco)
Copper Cup (Nubia, 4th Century)
Beautiful Passage Way (Paris Louvre Museum)
The now famous and highly photographed Louvre Pyramid was designed by Chinese American, I.M. Pei and opened in 1988 as the main entrance to the Paris Louvre.
Musée Louvre Paris
Rue de Rivoli
75001