The Louvre Museum is the world's largest and most visited art museum, housing a collection of 480,000 works of art that spans ancient civilizations from the 6th century BC to the 19th century and is spread out across 60,000 square meters. Some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures may be found in the Louvre.
A few examples include the Mona Lisa, the Venus of Milo, the Code of Hammurabi, the Regent Diamond, and Napoleon I's Coronation. The Louvre is also home to a collection of monumental and iconic masterpieces from Western culture.
See What's Inside the LouvreThe Paintings Department of the Louvre Museum is unique in that it only displays works created before 1848, with a few exceptions. European paintings from the 13th to the 19th centuries are featured in this collection. Head to the 1st floor of the Denon wing and the 2nd floor of the Richelieu and Sully wings to see some of the most stunning paintings in the world on display at the Louvre. The Grand Gallery is another well-known gallery filled with magnificent paintings that should not be overlooked.
Know MoreThe Antiquities Department used to house the Sculptures Department with the latter operating solo in 1871. Sculptures from France, Italy, and northern Europe are now on display as part of this collection. The period covered is from the Middle Ages to the turn of the nineteenth century. The Sculptures Department is spread out over two levels. The French statues in the Marly and Puget courtyards can be seen on the mezzanine in the Richelieu Wing. Spanish, northern European, and Italian sculptures are on display in the Denon Wing's mezzanine.
In 1827, the Louvre opened the first Egyptian Museum, which consisted of four rooms. The museum was built and directed by Jean-François Champollion, the French academic who decoded Egyptian hieroglyphs in 1822, to spread knowledge of this enigmatic culture that had long interested Europeans. Egyptology became a science, and the museum's collection grew significantly. The Musée Charles X's collection has long outgrown its confines; the Department of Egyptian Antiquities now spans 2 floors of the Louvre.
The origins of writing can be traced in the Department of Near Eastern Antiquities. The first written words of humanity are preserved there. Visitors can observe the first legal documents and human depictions from the Neolithic age when men began to practice farming and agriculture. The Department of Near Eastern Antiquities is separated into three collections, each covering a geographical area ranging from the eastern Mediterranean to India, via the Arabian peninsula and the Black Sea.
Before being transformed into a museum, the Louvre was a palace, a fact that’s on full display when you explore both Napoleon III and Anne of Austria’s apartments. The Minister of Official for Napoleon III lived in small private rooms that led to the vast state residences, where the mood was radically different. The drawing and dining rooms feature a swirl of gold, velvet, paintings, and stucco ornamentation, providing a lavish setting for any type of royal gathering.
In 2003, the Department of Islamic Arts was established. However, works associated with this genre had long been in France's possession. The phrase 'Islamic Art' encompasses all of the Islamic world's art forms. These are represented in the Louvre by a collection of objects dating from the advent of Islam in the seventh century until the late nineteenth century. From Spain to India, North Africa, and Egypt, the collection spans three continents.
The Pavillon des Sessions, which opened in 2000, houses artworks from Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. As a result, the world's most famous museum expanded its scope to encompass cultures from every continent. African sculptures, an Easter Island statue head, Arctic masks, a ceremonial house post from the Solomon Islands, and much more can be seen in the Pavillon des Sessions' big bright halls. Jean-Michel Wilmotte's modest, unobtrusive exhibition space is the ideal showcase for the range of this exhibition.
The Rotonde Sully, a few steps from the Pyramid, houses the Louvre's collection of prints and drawings. Here you can discover sketching and printmaking skills while admiring the art of some of Europe's greatest painters. The graphic arts collection of the Louvre is one of the world's largest, with almost 250,000 pieces ranging from the 11th to the 19th centuries, including drawings, pastels, prints, and miniatures. Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Charles Le Brun, Delacroix, Géricault and Ingres, Hans Holbein, and Rembrandt are among the many legendary artists featured here.
Aside from these categories, the Louvre also has a large collection of textiles, jewellery, finery, prints, and documents.
The Louvre collection is also divided into different themes. You can now choose to explore a collection based on your interests.
60 artworks
Explore an array of portraits from sculptures to paintings, drawings to engravings, and more.
Know More59 artworks
A number of artworks showcase royalty in different forms. Explore coronation items, paintings, and sculptures of European monarchs.
Know More26 artworks
Discover many significant events in history through several depictions of artworks at the museum.
Know More51 artworks
Take a look at the newest additions to the Louvre collection as the museum strives to enrich its existing collection.
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Get a close look at some of the most famous artworks not just in the museum, but across the globe.
Know More1737 works
Around 61,000 artworks were retrieved after the second world war, many of which were returned to their owners. The rest are kept within French museums like the Louvre.
Know MoreThe Louvre collection includes around 450,000 artifacts and 35,000 works of art across eight curatorial departments.
Yes. To see the entire Louvre collection, you need to purchase an entrance ticket to the museum. Book your tickets here.
The Louvre collection consists of Paintings, Egyptian Antiquities, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities, Near Eastern Antiquities, Decorative arts, Islamic arts, Graphic arts.
It would take you roughly 2 to 3 hours to take a look at the entire Louvre collection.
Yes. The entire Louvre collection can be viewed online.
The Louvre collection houses approximately 7,500 paintings.
Some of the best artworks of the Louvre collection are Mona Lisa, The Cheat with the Ace of Diamonds, Liberty Leading the People, Alexander the Great in Babylon, and The Raft of the Medusa.
While the Louvre collection size is over 450,000, at a given time about 35,000 are on display.
Egyptian antiquities, ancient Greek and Roman sculptures, Old Master paintings, royal jewels, and other objects from French aristocrats are all part of the Louvre collection.
The oldest item that is part of the Louvre collection is a statue from Ain Ghazal, over 9000 years old.
In 1827, the Louvre opened the first Egyptian Museum, which consisted of four rooms. In today's Louvre, the Department of Egyptian Antiquities occupies two floors of the museum.
Some of the famous sculptures that are part of the Louvre collection include Winged Victory of Samothrace, Sleeping Hermaphrodite on Bed, The Three Graces, Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, and Venus de Milo.