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Musée du Louvre

Home to Mona Lisa & Venus de Milo

34 Quai du Louvre
Entrée principale: Pyramide & Cour Napoléon
Paris,
75001

Neighborhood: 1st Arrondissement

Nearest Train: Métro: Palais-Royal-Musée du Louvre (L.1)

Phone: +33 1 40 20 50 50
Fax: +33 1 40 20 54 52
Website | Map | add to Travel Bag (NEW)
Virtual Tour Website 

Audio Guides 1 ,2 

Only a few people know that the third largest museum worldwide used to be the main residence of French kings and emperors for six centuries. The Old Fortress was erected in 1190 under the reign of King Philippe Auguste to protect the kingdom from the invasion of northern tribes (the Vikings). During the 14th century, the palace was extended under Charles V and became from time to time a royal residence. The greatest changes in the original palace were made under King François I. The medieval Grosse Tour was destroyed and replaced by a sumptuous palace, still considered a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture. In 1594, Henri IV decided to build a passage between the Tuileries Palace and Louvre Palace, still known as the "Great Gallery." The "Cour Carrée" was part of a vast program conducted under Louis XIII and Louis XIV to embellish the king's residence and is a symbol of the classical period. After Louis XIV moved to Versailles, the Louvre knew a static period. The most recent construction is the Glass Pyramid erected by Leoh Ming Pei under French President Mitterrand, which is now the main entrance to the museum. With 35,000 pieces and a surface of about 740,000 sq. ft., the Louvre cannot be taken in in one day. The museum comprises eight departments: Eastern and Middle-Eastern Antiquities including treasures from Mesopotamia; Syria or Iran dating back to the Neolithic period; Egyptian Antiquities; Greek, Roman and Etruscan Antiquities dating from 6000 BCE to 600 CE; Islamic Art; Sculptures; Decorative Art which includes among other pieces, famous Empress Eugénie's and Louis XV's coronation crowns; Paintings from 13th century to 1848 and Prints and Drawings (viewed by appointment). Besides Da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa and Veronese's Wedding Feast at Cana, you will admire paintings from Italian Renaissance (Titian, Raphael, etc), masterpieces of Dutch Painters like Rubens, Van Eyck as well as Vermeer's Lacemaker. Also, very famous among French people, don't forget Dürer's Self-Portrait, Delacroix's Liberté Guidant le Peuple or David's Coronation of Napoleon. Among sculptures, in addition to Venus de Milo and Winged Victory of Samothrace, pay a tribute to Michelangelo's Slaves. Insider's tips: bring some patience and buy your tickets online to escape the long lines. Also, come back at night to see the Pyramids illuminated! Admission:EUR 8.50. For lectures, movies and music, consult the Auditorium's program. - Aurélie Pichard

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Associated Events
Sculptures: France, 17th and 18th Centuries
Jan 1st, 2009 to Dec 31st, 2009
9:00AM
Admire 43 sculptures made by 17th- and 18th-century artists ranging from Caffari, to Houdon. This period is comprised of mostly funeral and garden art, with some intimate portraits and mythological figures.

Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese. . . Venetian Rivalry
Sep 17th, 2009 to Jan 4th, 2010
Exhibition of three major Italian renaissance painters. Their rivalry only served to fuel their ambition and their creativity.

TITIEN, TINTORET, VERONESE...
Purchase tickets through fnac for:

Umberto Eco: Mille e Tre
Oct 7th, 2009 to Feb 8th, 2010
Multidisciplinary exhibit based on Umberto Eco's works and thought.

Joseph Kosuth "Neither Appearance Nor Illusion"
Oct 22nd, 2009 to Jun 2nd, 2010
Interesting exhibit by American artist, Joseph Kosuth.


The Turkish Season at the Louvre
Oct 22nd, 2009 to Jan 18th, 2010
The curators of the museum are proud to present three different exhibits on Turkey.

Pieter Brueghel l'Ancien et l'idée d'une Collection de Savoirs
Nov 9th, 2009
Lecture by Ombar Calabrese of the University of Siena

Trésors au Moyen Age
Nov 9th, 2009
Lecture by Jannic Durand, of the Louvre.

The Louvre Invites Pierre Boulez I
Nov 11th, 2009
9:00PM
Pieces by Bartok, Combier, Mozart, Fischer, G. Gabrieli, Adamek, Borowski.

Inventaire avant Disparition
Nov 13th, 2009
Slide show assembled by celebrity DJ Laurent Garnier using images from Planète Albert-Kahn.

The Louvre Invites Pierre Boulez II
Nov 13th, 2009
12:30PM
Pieces by Bartok, Combier, Mozart, Fischer, G. Gabrieli, Adamek, Donatoni and Brorowski.

Series (uvre) I
Nov 14th, 2009
8:00PM
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, on piano, pieces by Pierre Boulez, Schonberg, Boulez, Carter and Messiaen.

The Louvre Invites Pierre Boulez III
Nov 19th, 2009
8:00PM
Soprano Christine Schafer performs alongside Ensemble Intercontemporain, led by Pierre Boulez.

Zbigniew Rybczynski
Nov 19th, 2009
8:00PM
Film from experimenta polish director Zbigniew Ryczynski.

Series (uvre) III
Nov 20th, 2009
8:00PM
Directed by Geoffroy Jourdain, performance includes the talents of Christophe Desjardin, Daniel Ciampolini.

Series (uvre) II
Nov 21st, 2009
8:00PM
Diego Tosi on violin and Jerome Comte on clarinet, playing pieces by Pierre Boulez and Stravinsky.

The Louvre Invites Pierre Boulez IV
Nov 21st, 2009
8:00PM
Diego Tosi on violin and Jerome Comte on clarinet, playing pieces by Pierre Boulez and Stravinsky.

Luciano Berio
Nov 23rd, 2009
Presented by Umberto Eco to highlight the similarities between the author's body of work and the composer.

Musées Vistuels à la Renaissance: le livre comme collection
Nov 23rd, 2009
Lecture by Anthony Grafon of Princeton University.

The Louvre Invites Pierre Boulez V
Nov 24th, 2009
8:00PM
Florent Boffard on piano, Christian Tetzlaff on violin and Maritn Frost on clarinet, playing pieces by Bartock Berg and Debussy.

Les "Rustiques Figulines" de Bernard Palissy
Nov 25th, 2009
Lecture by François Barbe and Anne Bouquillon.

The Louvre Invites Pierre Boulez VI
Nov 26th, 2009
8:00PM
Maurizio Pollini on piano playing pieces by Schoenberg, Debussy, Webern and Boulez.

The Louvre Invites Pierre Boulez VIII
Nov 28th, 2009
8:00PM
Le Cris de Paris led by Pierre Boulez, pieces from Gottwald, Stroppa and Feldman.

La Wunderkammer a-t-elle existé? Incentaire d'un mythe
Nov 30th, 2009
Lecture by Patricia Falguière of the EHESS in Paris.

The Louvre Invites Pierre Boulez IX
Dec 1st, 2009
3:00PM
Orchestre de Paris, led by Pierre Boulez, pieces from Stravinsky's The Firebird.

The Louvre Invites Pierre Boulez X
Dec 2nd, 2009
8:00PM
Orchestre de Paris led by Pierre Boulez perform Stravinksy's full ballet The Firebird.

Holy Russia
Mar 5th, 2010 to May 24th, 2010
Major exhibition that traces christianity in Russia.


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