The Louvre museum originated as a fortress in Paris that was later converted into a royal residence. It opened as a public museum in 1793 during the French Revolution. Today it houses over 380,000 objects and is one of the most visited art museums in the world, most notably displaying the Mona Lisa. The museum has expanded through various renovations and new buildings, including a glass pyramid entrance designed in the 1980s. Additional Louvre branches and partnerships have been established in other locations internationally.

1. Musée du Louvre
(The Louvre)
By …

2. History
• The origin of the name "Louvre” is not known but it may be
possible that it comes from the French word “l’œuvre” which
means masterpiece.
• The museum is in Paris, France inside the Louvre Palace. This
palace was first built as a fortress by Philip II in the 12th
century. Afterwards, it became the home for King Charles V
and King Francis I. They both renovated it to suit their favorite
styles of architecture. It is Francis I who got the Mona
Lisa, which would become one of the most important pieces
in the museum.
• However, Louis XIV decided to move to Versailles and the
Louvre became a residence for artists.

3. History, cont.
• By the 18th century, the French people wanted access to
the Royal Collection of art. During the French
Revolution, the Louvre finally became a public museum. It
opened on August 10th 1793, exactly a year after the
monarchy was taken down.
• In the beginning, people could only visit the museum 3
days a week but it was the first truly public museum. It
started out with 537 paintings and 184 pieces of art that
came from across Europe.
• In the years that followed, many more pieces were added
from all over the world. Some were donated or given as
gifts while others were acquired through military
campaigns. Napoleon I added a lot to the collections from
Egypt, Spain, Austria and Italy.

4. Present Form
• In 1983, President Francois Mitterrand selected the
architect, I. M. Pei, to design the new building for the
museum. He designed the structure of a glass pyramid to
cover the entrance and it was finished in 1988.
• The Inverted Pyramid, a
skylight in the shopping
mall in front of the Louvre
Museum, was completed
in 1993. It is copies the
form of the Louvre’s glass
pyramid, but turned
upside down.

5. Collections
• The Louvre has more than 380,000 objects
on display from a wide range of cultures, like
Egyptian, Greek, Byzantine and French.
• Most possibly the most famous painting in
the world, the Mona Lisa has been on
display in the Louvre since its opening. It
was painted by the great Italian
artist, Leonardo da Vinci, around 1519.
• The painting was stolen in 1911 and Pablo
Picasso was one of the suspects in the
investigation. However, 2 years later the
painting was found in Florence where an
Italian man had kept it because he thought it
belonged there.

6. Collections, contd.
• In 2005, a Saudi prince
donated $20 million to build
a wing for the Islamic Art in
the museum. It is the
largest gift any museum has
ever received.
• This is the oldest example of
a globe that shows the stars
instead of the Earth. It was
made by Yunusibn al-
Husayn al-Asturlabi in 1145
AD (539 Hijri)

7. Collections, contd.
• In 2009, the American
artist, Cy Tombly, was
invited to paint the
ceiling of the Salle des
Bronzes. He was only
the third artist to get
this honor and it took
him 2 years to
complete. It is called
“Ceiling”.

8. Controversies
• After Napoleon’s army was defeated at Waterloo, many
artists wanted their works (that were taken during the
battles) returned. The directors of the Louvre did not
want to give them back and hid many pieces of art.
Most of them were eventually returned, however. The
same thing happened after the Nazi occupation.
• The French felt that they had the right to these pieces
of art and it has been a long process to return all the
things that were taken. Many of the pieces in the
Louvre still have not been claimed by their owners.

9. Different Locations
• Lens: • Abu Dhabi:
In 2004, the French Prime In 2007, it was announced
that another Louvre museum
Minister decided to build a would be constructed in Abu
branch museum of the Dhabi on the Saadiyat Island.
Louvre in the French The final cost of the
city, Lens. The reason is that construction is estimated
between €83 million and
there are so many works of €108 million. It was designed
art in the Louvre and so many by Jean Nouvel. Artwork from
people visiting that another all over the world will be
location was needed to rotated to the museum in
Abu Dhabi periodically.
relieve the crowd in the However, there have been
museum in Paris. It will be many controversies over this
completed in 2012. project.

10. Louvre Abu Dhabi
• Abu Dhabi paid $525 million to use the name of the
Louvre and $247 million to loan artwork from the
Louvre itself. The contract also prevents any other Arab
countries and the other Emirates from creating another
branch of the Louvre.
• Many museum and art experts have argued that
“museums are not for sale” and that this move was
clearly motivated by money. Henri Loyrette, the
president of the Louvre, and Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed
Al Nahyanboth responded saying that the name is
worth the price and that it is simply a tribute to France
and and the cultural ties between the two nations.

11. Louvre Abu Dhabi, contd.
• Other questions were raised as to the content of the artwork
that could be displayed in the museum due to its location in a
Muslim country. However, it has been stated that it will not
affect the museum or the themes of the artwork shown.
• The third issue attacked was
the abuse of the construction
workers involved in building
the museum. Over 120
international artists boycotted
the Louvre and Guggenheim
museums in an attempt to
improve the situation.

12. Resources
• http://www.louvre.fr/
• http://www.lonelyplanet.com/travelblogs/116
7/73039/My+Top+10+Offbeat+Pieces+at+the+
Mus%C3%A9e+du+Louvre?destId=359279
• http://blogs.usyd.edu.au/bizart/2007/07/the_
desert_louvre_a_change_in.html