The Louvre is a massive structure of wings and pavilions on four major levels constructed of cut stone. Despite its appearance of unity, it is the consequence of several centuries of building, modification, destruction, and restoration. The original palace was built for Philip II of France between 1564 and 1589. It was here that Louis XIV grew up and where his passion for art developed. The king ordered the construction of the Louvre as a place to display his collection of paintings, which at that time was one of the largest in Europe.
Inside you will find rooms devoted to various styles of art, from pre-historic times to the present day. There are galleries showing off tapestries, sculptures, and more. The most famous piece in the museum is undoubtedly Michelangelo's _David_. You can see it in the Hall of Moses inside the Sistine Chapel. The statue was created in 1504 for the pope at the time, Julius II. However, it wasn't installed until 1540 after being held back because of problems with the sculpture's arm and leg.
Also worth seeing are many other works by Michelangelo, including _The_ _Creation of Adam_ and _The_ _Temptation of Saint Anthony_. Other famous artists who worked here include Raphael, Titian, Veronese, and Rodin.
The French phrase, musee du Louvre, is divided into three parts: "museum" (musee), "of the (masculine)" (du), and "Louvre" (Louvre). So, the Louvre is a museum of art. The word "museums" in French is "musées".
There are also other museums in Paris that are not part of the Musée National d'Art Moderne (MNAM) system. They are called "petits musées" (small museums).
The Petit Palais and the Grand Palais are two small but beautiful museums on the same site as the larger Louvre Museum. You can see some of the best examples of French painting from the 14th to the 18th century here.
People usually visit these smaller museums after they have seen the more famous works of art in the main Louvre Museum. They are easy to find since they are right next to each other.
The Petit Palais was built by Gabrielle-Brunet for the Exposition Universelle (World's Fair) of 1889. It houses paintings from all over the world, including works by Raphael, Titian, Vermeer, and Caravaggio.
The Louvre includes an art collection that spans ancient cultures from the sixth century BC to the nineteenth century! It is one of the world's most diverse art galleries in terms of topic matter. The Louvre has around 35,000 items of art spanning across 60,000 square meters! There are over 9,000 paintings, including many by Leonardo da Vinci, and other famous artists such as Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian.
The museum grew from a private palace built between 1667 and 1754 for the Dukes of Orléans. In 1793, the French government acquired the site as part of the National Museum project. The original building was redesigned in the 19th century under the direction of Charles-Louis Clérisseau who also designed the modern version of Paris' Arc de Triomphe. The Louvre today is officially known as the Musée du Louvre - Musee d'Art Antique (Ancient Art Museum).
However, it is usually called "the Louvre" or "the Gallery". It is the largest European museum with over 75,000 objects in its collection. The name comes from the district in which it is located: la Grande Pyramide. This area used to be called le Louvre because there were three pyramids here! Today, the name refers to the whole museum complex.
Louvre Museum History The Louvre was initially established as a castle in 1190, but was later rebuilt as a royal residence in the 16th century. "Like many structures, it was created and restored throughout time," said Tea Gudek Snajdar, an art historian, museum docent, and Culture Tourist blogger based in Amsterdam. "The current version of the palace is from the late 17th century."
Initially, the castle was used by King Charles VIII as a residence when he came to live in Paris after becoming king of France. But the palace soon became too small for his needs, so he had more rooms added to it. In 1546, Francis I bought the castle from its owner, the Duke of Orléans, and made it his main residence in Paris. He also had other improvements done to it, such as adding glass windows and doors to allow in more light.
During the French Revolution, the property was given to the people of Paris and was converted into a public museum called "The National Museum". Today, it is known as "The Louvre Museum" and houses one of the world's greatest collections of art.
It's entirely built of glass and metal and has become one of the city's most recognizable monuments. Its construction, however, sparked some debate because the architect, I.M. Pei, was the first non-French architect to build on the Louvre. The museum opened in July 1997.
Glass and metal? You might think that French architects would be responsible for such a building, but the fact is that no French architect had ever worked on the project before Pei came along.
The Louvre was originally built as a fortress in the 11th century by the French king William the Conqueror. Over time, it became an important royal palace where French kings and queens lived while they were in Paris. The last monarch to live there was Louis XVI, who was imprisoned in his own palace after he lost his battle with France's elected ruler, Napoleon Bonaparte.
In 1980, French president François Mitterrand decided to give the Louvre to the nation as a public museum. At this time, parts of the fortress were demolished to make way for what is now one of the world's largest museums.
Although Pei did not design any of the rooms in the main part of the museum, he did create a number of objects that are displayed throughout the museum.
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