MUSÉE DU LOUVRE
One of the world’s most impressive museums, the Louvre contains some 35,000 priceless objects. It was built as a fortress by King Philippe-Auguste in 1190, but Charles V (1364–1380) made it his home. In the 16th century François I replaced it with a Renaissance-style palace and founded the royal art collection with 12 paintings from Italy. Revolutionaries opened the collection to the public in 1793. Shortly after, Napoleon renovated the Louvre as a museum.
NEED TO KNOW
Musée du Louvre, 75001 • 01 40 20 53 17 • www.louvre.fr • Open 9am–6pm Mon, Thu, Sat & Sun, 9am–9:45pm Wed & Fri; closed Tue, public hols • Adm $19; free 1st Sun of month (except Apr–Sep); under 18 free; under 26 (EU only) free
- For a light lunch, try Le Café Marly in the Richelieu Wing or the food court in Carrousel du Louvre. For a more special option book at the Café Grand Louvre below the pyramid.
- To beat the lines buy tickets in advance online. Choose a date and a 30- minute window to access the museum. Tickets are also available at machine kiosks at the Porte des Lions entrance at the west end of the Denon Wing (except Friday) or at the Office de Tourisme at 25 Rue des Pyramides.
Gallery Guide
The foyer is under the pyramid. Those with tickets are given priority access at the pyramid. Alternatively, buy tickets at the Carrousel du Louvre entrance (99 Rue de Rivoli) or Porte des Lions. The Sully, Denon, and Richelieu wings lead off from the foyer. Painting and sculpture are displayed by country, plus galleries for objets d’art, antiquities, and prints. The Petit Galerie, in the Richelieu wing, is a temporary exhibition area aimed at children.
Museum Floor Plan
1. Venus de Milo
This iconic statue of Greek goddess Aphrodite—later known as Venus by the ancient Romans—is the highlight of the museum’s Greek antiquities. It dates from the end of the 2nd century BCE and was discovered on the Greek island of Milos in 1820.
2. Mona Lisa
Arguably the most famous painting in the world, Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait of a Florentine noblewoman with an enigmatic smile has been beautifully restored. Visit early or late in the day.
3. Marly Horses
Coustou’s famous rearing horses being restrained by horse-tamers were sculpted in 1745 for Louis XIV’s Château de Marly. Replicas stand near the Place de la Concorde.
4. Slaves
Michelangelo (1475–1564) sculpted Dying Slave and Rebellious Slave (1513–20) for the tomb of Pope Julius II in Rome. The unfinished figures seem to be emerging from their “prisons” of stone.
Slaves
5. Glass Pyramid
The unmistakable glass pyramid, designed by I M Pei, became the Louvre’s new entrance in 1989. Stainless steel tubes make up the 69-ft- (21-m-) high frame.
Glass Pyramid
6. Medieval Moats
An excavation in the 1980s uncovered the remains of the medieval fortress. You can see the base of the towers and the drawbridge support under the Cour Carrée.
7. The Winged Victory of Samothrace
This Hellenistic treasure (3rd–2nd century BCE) stands atop a stone ship radiating grace and power. It was created to commemorate a naval triumph at Rhodes.
8. The Raft of the Medusa
The shipwreck of a French frigate three years earlier inspired this gigantic early Romantic painting by Théodore Géricault (1791–1824) in 1819. The work depicts the moment when the survivors spot a sail on the horizon.
The Raft of the Medusa
9. Perrault’s Colonnade
The majestic east façade by Claude Perrault (1613– 88), with its paired Corinthian columns, was part of an extension plan commissioned by Louis XIV.
10. The Lacemaker
Jan Vermeer’s (1632–75) masterpiece, painted around 1665, gives a simple but beautiful rendering of everyday life and is the highlight of the Louvre’s Dutch collection.
The Lacemaker
