Louvre Museum

Candid tips

 

Why the
Louvre Museum
is special

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Paris's Louvre vies with New York's Metropolitan Museum as the world's greatest all-around art museum.

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Louvre Museum

tips & insights

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Mona Lisa

France's Louvre Museum has the distinction of having the world's most famous painting: Mona Lisa by the Italian Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci. Mona Lisa's subtle, enigmatic smile and stare (see photo) have intrigued billions.

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Famous statues

The celebrated Hellenistic marble statues Venus de Milo and Winged Victory of Samothrace are also in the Louvre Museum.

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Other tour de forces

There are tens of thousands of other masterpieces from around the globe in the Louvre Museum.

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Time span

The art treasures of the Louvre Museum cover 5,000 years and are displayed in over 10 kilometers (6 miles) of galleries.

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History

The Louvre Museum building complex metamorphosed and expanded over eight centuries. It began as a medieval fortress (12th century) that was transformed into a royal palace (16th) and then a public museum (18th).

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Renovation

In recent decades, the Louvre Museum undertook a major renovation project. The most striking addition was architect I.M. Pei's 1989 modern glass pyramid (most people like it but some despise it).

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French Tourist Office

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