Tyler Thompson
Mr. Cian
Honors French
April 24th, 2017
The Louvre
The Louvre is the world's largest Museum and Historic monument in Paris. It receives a
great amount of tourists averaging about 7.4 Million people annually, this makes it the world's
most visited museum. The Louvre is housed in the Louvre Palace which was a fortress created by
Philip II in the 12th century. The fortress served a purpose of protecting him from possible Viking
attacks during his reign, but was later converted to a resting place for the French Kings.
The beginnings of the beautiful Louvre Palace are vague. It is unknown if this was the
first building in this spot; it is possible that Philip began construction from an existing tower.
According to the authoritative Grand Larousse encyclopdique, the name derives from an
association with wolf hunting den. In the 7th century, St. Fare, an abbess in Meaux, left part of
her "Villa called Luvra situated in the region of Paris" to a monastery; this territory probably did
not correspond exactly to the modern site. The Louvre Palace was altered frequently throughout
the Middle Ages.
In the 14th century, Charles V converted the building into a residence and in 1546,
Francis I remodeled the site in French Renaissance style. Francis acquired what would become
the prized possession of the Louvre's holdings, his acquisitions including Leonardo da Vinci's
Mona Lisa. After Louis XIV chose Versailles as his residence in 1682, constructions halted;
however, the move permitted the Louvre to be used as a residence for artists. By the mid-18th
century there were an increasing number of proposals to create a public gallery, with the art critic
La Font de Saint-Yenne publishing, in 1747, a call for a display of the royal collection. On 14
October 1750, Louis XV agreed and sanctioned a display of 96 pieces from the royal collection,
mounted in the Galerie royale de peinture of the Luxembourg Palace. A hall was opened by Le
Normant de Tournehem and the Marquis de Marigny for public viewing of the Tableaux du Roy
on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and contained Andrea del Sarto's Charity and works by Raphael;
Titian; Veronese; Rembrandt; Poussin or Van Dyck, until its closing in 1780 as a result of the gift
of the palace to the Count of Provence, the future king, by the king in 1778.
Under Louis XVI, the royal museum idea became policy. The comte d'Angiviller
broadened the collection, and in 1776 proposed conversion of the Grande Galerie of the Louvre
which contained old maps into the "French Museum". Many proposals were offered for the
Louvre's renovation into a museum, however none was agreed on. Hence the museum remained
incomplete until the French Revolution.
During the French Revolution the Louvre was transformed into a public museum. In May
1791, the Assembly declared that the Louvre would be "a place for bringing together monuments
of all the sciences and arts". On 10 August 1792, Louis XVI was imprisoned and the royal
collection in the Louvre became national property. Because of fear of vandalism or theft, on 19
August, the National Assembly pronounced the museum's preparation as urgent. In October, a
committee to "preserve the national memory" began assembling the collection for display.
Antonio Canova's Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss was commissioned in 1787, donated in 1824.
The museum opened on 10 August 1793, the first anniversary of the monarchy's demise. The
public was given free access on three days per week, which was "perceived as a major
accomplishment and was generally appreciated". The collection showcased 537 paintings and
184 objects of art. Three quarters were derived from the royal collections, the remainder from
confiscated migrs and Church property. To expand and organize the collection, the Republic
dedicated 100,000 livres per year.
In 1794, France's revolutionary armies began bringing pieces from Northern Europe,
augmented after the Treaty of Tolentino (1797) by works from the Vatican, such as Laocon and
His Sons and the Apollo Belvedere, to establish the Louvre as a museum and as a sign of popular
sovereignty. The early days were hectic; privileged artists continued to live in residence, and the
unlabeled paintings were plastered along every wall. The structure itself closed in May 1796 due
to structural deficiencies. It reopened on 14 July 1801, arranged chronologically and with new
lighting and columns.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the Grand Louvre, as the museum is officially known, underwent
major remodeling. Modern museum amenities were added and thousands of square meters of
new exhibition space were opened. The Chinese American architect I.M. Pei built a steel-and-
glass pyramid in the center of the Napoleon courtyard. Traditionalists called it an outrage. In
1993, on the 200th anniversary of the museum, a rebuilt wing formerly occupied by the French
ministry of finance was opened to the public. It was the first time that the entire Louvre was
devoted to museum purposes.
Works Cited:
Maranzani, Barbara. "6 Things You May Not Know About the Louvre." History.com. A&E
Television Networks, 09 Aug. 2013. Web. 27 Apr. 2017.
"Louvre Museum opens." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2017.
