The world’s most famous art gallery

It attracts millions of tourists a year, has a long and turbulent history, has works by major artists in its collection, and is located in the historic center of the French capital. I think everyone already knows what gallery it’s about? The Louvre, of course. The art that the museum houses transcends borders, traditions and cultures. It is admired regardless of origin, color, religion, values. The Louvre’s masterpieces include works by artists such as Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci. Here you will also encounter amazing works from before our era by unknown artists. The world’s most famous art gallery attracted nearly 8 million people in 2022. Compared to 2021, that’s a 120% increase.

Today, the Louvre is no longer just a space encompassing the palace of French monarchs, but also an unprecedented ‘branch’, in the United Arab Emirates. What secrets does the Louvre hide?

The world’s most famous art gallery – beginning

The gallery at the Louvre is eight centuries old – The long history began with Philip II Augustus. At the end of the 12th century, a fortress was erected with very thick defensive walls as a feature. The time of wars and constant conflicts forced the erection of certain buildings. In the second half of the 14th century, the Louvre became the palace of French monarchs. Over the following decades it changed rulers, and they adapted it to the prevailing fashion and changing conditions.

The gallery was built at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, during the reign of Henry IV. At the end of the 17th century, the Louvre ceased to be the residence of monarchs and began to be a museum. The seat of the monarchs became Versailles-it recently opened a luxury hotel.

The Muséum Central des Arts was established in the Louvre. Over the decades, the Louvre has grown while expanding its art collection.

The world’s most famous art gallery underwent a major renovation at the end of the last century and all the buildings are now being used for exhibition purposes. Previously, the Richelieu wing belonged to the French Ministry of Finance.

Currently The museum has more than 33,000 works in its collection, It has nearly 2,300 employees, lends more than 3,000 works of art to other institutions each year, and holds about 10 temporary exhibitions annually.

Louvre in numbers

Impressive is not only the number of visitors to the Louvre, but the area on which the museum is located. There are 403 rooms in the palace, which, including corridors, add up to 14.5 kilometers. When communism was collapsing in Poland, the Louvre was undergoing another expansion, at which time the pyramid, hailed as a modern masterpiece of the 20th century, was built. It is more than 21 meters high and weighs about180 tons. This dome is the heart of the Louvre, so it is from it that the paths to visit specific wings of the palace diverge.

Just over a decade ago, in 2012, the Louvre opened the Islamic Art Department and in 2022 the Byzantine and Eastern Christian Art Department. In addition to these The Louvre museum has expanded to other areas of France and the world. Currently manages the Louvre -Lens museum, which is located in northern France (in Lens). Works belonging to the Louvre are exhibited there. It is the place to which the Louvre lends the most works of all the institutions it works with. Since its opening, it has been the second most popular museum in France, outside of Paris.

Most well-known gallery arts in the world also manages the Musée National Eugène-Delacroix, which was created in the artist’s apartment. Meanwhile, in 2017, under an agreement between France and the United Arab Emirates Another ‘Louvre’ has been erected in Abu Dhabi. It features a modern design, situated on water, on an artificial island. Here you can admire works on loan from the Louvre and other French museums.

Universal art gallery

The Louvre is impressive in many ways, including the richness of its collections and its possession of the most valuable artistic works. His collection includes Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous Mona Lisa, Italian frescoes by Sandro Botticelli, Venus de Milo (authorship uncertain), Michelangelo’s Rebellious Captive.

The Louvre’s collections transcend one culture, nationality and beyond religion. That’s why the world’s most famous art gallery is also considered one of the most universal. The Louvre’s collections are divided into departments:

• ancient Egyptian art,
• Middle Eastern art,
• The art of ancient Greece, Rome, Etruria,
• Islamic art,
• sculptures,
• painting,
• arts and crafts,
• drawing and graphics.

In the Louvre, you will encounter, among other things, the following ancient world, medieval painting, Renaissance, Baroque, Romantic and contemporary art. It is in this gallery that the largest and most valuable works await, including the oldest. Fragments of the temple of Zeus from the 4th century BC, a statue from Mycenae dating to the 8th century BC, a bust of Emperor Octavian Augustus from the 1st century AD. And among the works of painters, You will find paintings by artists such as Rembrandt, Titian, Raphael Santi, El Greco.

There are also a few Polish accents in the Louvre, after all, we too have great artists. This includes the following. sculpture from Maria Leszczynska, and in 2019 Lens hosted an exhibition of works by Polish painters working in the 19th century.

Interesting facts about the world’s most famous art gallery

Is the Louvre haunted? According to some, yes, so it’s worth looking beyond the artwork. It is said to be inhabited by the ghost of a butcher called Jack Skinner-according to legends, he was mistreated by the royal family. A Belphegor mummy weaves through the corridors, and an unnamed woman dressed in red walks through the gardens. Of course, the spirits are friendly to tourists.

Napoleon and the changes at the Louvre

During Napoleon’s reign, the museum quickly filled up with loot from around the world, paintings, figures, sculptures, but after the fall of the emperor, several thousand works were returned to their owners. Napoleon also renamed the museum, replacing the Louvre with his name.

Mona Lisa not on hand

Mona Lisa is under special surveillance. She has been shielded with barricades so that she cannot be approached too closely. In addition, it is located behind glass. It is also interesting to note that it is not at all as large as it may seem, which arouses the surprise of some visitors.

The real treasures of the Louvre

At the Louvre, you’ll ‘come face to face with a mummy’, following in the footsteps of the ancient Egyptians. You’ll also see what kings ate and drank from, thanks to a collection of royal dishes. You will see with your own eyes how monarchs lived and what they surrounded themselves with. The splendor of the chambers and splendor are very impressive, and the whole is complemented by paintings and reliefs. At the moment, Napoleon’s chambers are unfortunately off-limits to visitors until May 2024. After that date, it is worth taking a tour to travel back in time for a while.

How long does it take to visit the Louvre?

Statistically, 15,000 people a day visit the Louvre and it is not crowded. Tickets are on sale online. On a first visit, there is no chance to visit and see everything. In fact, even a month is not enough, because according to calculations, spending 30 seconds on each work of art, you need 100 days without sleep and food breaks.

The most famous art gallery in the world, it is also the largest and most visited. When going to the Louvre, it’s a good idea to plan a walk around the palace, as not having a plan can end up with a chaotic tour and missing the most important works.