The Louvre Museum also called Musée du Louvre is one of the world’s largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument located in Paris , France . Nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 19th century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres (652,300 square feet).

The Louvre Museum -Paris , France

Short History

Housed in the Palais du Louvre (Louvre Palace), the former seat of French royalty, the Louvre emerged in the 12th century as a medieval fortress, slowly evolving toward its status as a public arts museum during the French Revolution in the late 18th century. Since then, it has become the globe’s most-visited museum, and an enduring symbol of French excellence in the arts.

The museum opened on 10 August 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings, the majority of the works being confiscated church and royal property.

Musée du Louvre- Paris , France

The Louvre building complex underwent a major remodeling in the 1980s and ’90s in order to make the old museum more accessible and accommodating to its visitors.

Departments

Spanning eight thematic departments and 35,000 pieces of artwork dating from the antiquity to the early modern period, the Louvre’s permanent collection includes masterpieces by European artists such as Da Vinci, Delacroix, Vermeer, and Rubens, as well as unsurpassed Greco-Roman, Egyptian, or Islamic arts collections.  Frequent temporary exhibits often highlight particular artists or movements, and are almost always worthwhile.

• Paintings

The Paintings department of the Louvre Museum displays works from every European school that range in date from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. It covers the largest portion of the building

Mona Lisa -The Louvre Museum

Highlights of this section include the Mona Lisa (1503), Leonardo da Vinci’s enigmatic portrait of a young woman; the Virgin of the Rocks (1482) also by Leonardo; The Wedding Feast at Cana by Veronese; Self-Portrait with a Thistle (1493) by Albrecht Dürer; Coronation of the Virgin (1432) by Fra Angelico; and St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata (1290) by Giotto.

• Prints and Drawings (Arts Graphics)

The Department of Prints and Drawings was established in 1986 and contains about 130,000 cartoons, drawings, pastels and miniatures.

• Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities

The fascinating department of Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities encompasses artifacts from the Mediterranean region ranging in date from the 4th millennium BC to the 6th century AD.

Venus de Milo -The Louvre Museum

• Egyptian Antiquities

The Louvre’s Department of Egyptian Antiquities is exceptionally rich, thanks in large part to the persuasive abilities of Herpetologist Jean-Francois Champollion (1790-1832), who convinced Charles VIII to buy three major Egyptian collections. Other objects were later added by private donation and purchase.

• Near Eastern Antiquities

Established in 1881 and housed in 25 rooms on the ground floor of Richelieu and Sully, the Department of Near Eastern Antiquities contains artifacts dating from 10,000 years ago to the advent of Islam in the 7th century. Its geographical range extends from modern-day Pakistan to the Mediterranean Sea, representing all the great ancient civilizations of the Near East.

• Arts of Islam

The Arts of Islam is the newest department in the Louvre, separated from Near Eastern Antiquities in 2003. It contains over 1,000 works of Islamic art from the 7th century to modern times, originating in all parts of the Muslim Empire except for North Africa.

' Psyche revived ' -Louvre Museum

• Decorative Arts (Objets D’Art)

The extensive Department of Decorative Arts occupies the entire first floor of the Richelieu wing and displays portable treasures from Late Antiquity to the early 19th century. Also here are the beautiful Napoleon III Apartments with original furnishings.

• Sculpture

The Department of Sculpture displays all post-classical sculpture, ranging in date from the Early Middle Ages to the 19th century. The largest section is French Sculpture, which occupies most of the Richelieu ground and lower ground floors.

Sculpture - The Louvre Museum

Before visiting Musée du Louvre try doing a little bit of research  . Find out what interests  you most because the museum is huge and can’t be discovered in only one day  . Our advice is to take two days for visiting  Louvre  Museum .