Louvre Museum
History
The Louvre Museum, officially known as the Grand Louvre, is one of the world's largest and most visited museums. It is a historic monument in Paris, France, and a central landmark of the city. The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, which was originally built as a fortress in the late 12th to 13th century under Philip II.
Over the centuries, the structure was extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace. The museum opened on 10 August 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings, the majority of the works being royal and confiscated church property.
Collections
The Louvre Museum has more than 380,000 objects and displays 35,000 works of art in eight curatorial departments. The collections are divided among eight departments: Near Eastern Antiquities; Egyptian Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; Paintings; Prints and Drawings.
Near Eastern Antiquities
The Department of Near Eastern Antiquities is devoted to the ancient civilizations of the Near East. It includes collections from the civilizations of the ancient Near East, including Mesopotamia, Persia, and the Arabian Peninsula.
Egyptian Antiquities
The Department of Egyptian Antiquities presents vestiges from the civilizations that developed in the Nile Valley from the late prehistoric era (c. 4000 BC) to the Christian period (4th century AD).
Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities
The Department of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities showcases the artistic production of the Greek, Etruscan, and Roman civilizations; it is one of the world's premier repositories of these items, second only to the British Museum.
Islamic Art
The Department of Islamic Art is one of the newest departments in the Louvre. Its creation reflects the growing interest in Islamic Art, and the development of collections in this field, over the last two decades.
Sculpture
The Department of Sculpture presents works created before 1850 that were not part of the Mollien collection.
Decorative Arts
The Department of Decorative Arts showcases the treasures of the French kings, from Louis XIV to Louis XVI, as well as outstanding European ceramics, and the crown jewels.
Paintings
The Department of Paintings reflects the encyclopedic scope of the Louvre, encompassing every European school from the 13th century to 1848.
Prints and Drawings
The Department of Prints and Drawings holds works on paper, which due to their fragility, are displayed in rotating exhibitions.
Architecture
The Louvre Palace is an example of the evolution of French architecture from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. It is a complex of buildings composed mainly of the Old Louvre – the medieval fortress, and the New Louvre – the Renaissance and Classical periods' additions.
In Popular Culture
The Louvre has been a central setting for various novels, films, and other cultural works. The most famous of these is probably The Da Vinci Code, a novel by Dan Brown, which was also made into a film.