Louvre facts for kids

This page is about the museum. For the building, see Louvre Palace. For other uses, see Louvre (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids
Musée du Louvre
The Louvre Museum
Established	10 August 1793; 231 years ago (1793-08-10)
Location	Musée du Louvre, 75001, Paris, France
Type	Art museum and historic site
Collection size	615,797 in 2019 (35,000 on display)
Visitors	8.9 million (2023) Ranked 1st nationally Ranked 1st globally
Public transit access	Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre Louvre–Rivoli

The Louvre (pronounced "Loov-ruh"), also known as the Louvre Museum, is a famous art museum in Paris, France. It's one of the biggest and most visited museums in the world! You can find it on the Right Bank of the Seine River, in the heart of Paris.

The museum is home to many amazing and well-known artworks. These include the famous Mona Lisa painting, the beautiful Venus de Milo statue, and the impressive Winged Victory. The Louvre building itself is called the Louvre Palace. It was first built a long time ago, in the late 1100s or early 1200s, as a strong fortress. You can still see parts of this old fortress in the museum's basement today!

Over time, Paris grew, and the fortress was no longer needed for defense. So, in 1546, a French king named Francis I turned it into a royal home. The building was changed and made bigger many times. In 1682, King Louis XIV decided to move his home to the Palace of Versailles. This left the Louvre mostly as a place to show off the royal art collection.

In 1692, art academies moved into the Louvre. They even held art shows there. During the French Revolution, the government decided that the Louvre should become a public museum. It would display the nation's best artworks for everyone to see.

The museum first opened its doors on August 10, 1793. It showed 537 paintings, mostly from the royal family or taken from churches. The museum had to close for a few years because of building problems. It reopened in 1801. Later, under Napoleon, the collection grew even more, and the museum was called Musée Napoléon. But after Napoleon lost power, many artworks were returned to their original owners.

The Louvre's collection kept growing over the years through gifts and new purchases. Today, the museum has about 500,000 objects. About 35,000 artworks are on display in eight different sections. These sections include Egyptian Antiquities, Near Eastern Antiquities, Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities, Islamic Art, Sculpture, Decorative Arts, Paintings, and Prints and Drawings. The Louvre is truly a giant museum, covering a huge area of 72,735 square meters (about 782,910 square feet). In 2023, 8.9 million people visited the Louvre, making it the most visited museum in the world!

Visiting the Louvre Museum

Aerial view of the Louvre Palace and Tuileries Park

The Louvre Museum is right in the middle of Paris. It's inside the Louvre Palace, next to the beautiful Tuileries Gardens. You can easily get there by Métro. The closest stations are Louvre-Rivoli and Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre. The Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre station even has an underground path that leads directly to the museum.

Before the 1980s, the Louvre had several entrances at street level. Most of these are now closed. Since 1993, the main way to enter the museum is through the underground area beneath the famous Louvre Pyramid. You can go into the pyramid itself, or use the underground shopping area called Carrousel du Louvre.

The rules for visiting the museum have changed a lot over time. In the past, artists and foreign visitors had special access. In 1793, when it first opened, the public could visit for free three days a week. Later, in the early 1800s, the public could only visit for four hours a week. By 1855, the museum was open to the public every day except Mondays. It was free until 1922, when a fee was introduced. Today, the Louvre is usually closed on Tuesdays and some holidays.

You are allowed to use cameras and video recorders inside the museum. However, flash photography is not allowed.

Since 2012, Nintendo 3DS portable game systems have been used as the official audio guides for the museum. Nintendo even created a special guide for the Louvre on the 3DS. It has over 30 hours of audio and more than 1,000 photos of artworks. It also helps you find your way around the museum. You can rent these 3DS XLs at the museum. As of 2023, you can also take virtual tours of some rooms and galleries online.

History of the Louvre

From Fortress to Royal Palace

Below-ground portions of the medieval Louvre are still visible.

The Louvre Palace, where the museum is located, was started by King Philip II in the late 1100s. It was built as a fortress to protect Paris from attacks. You can still see parts of this old medieval fortress in the museum's basement.

No one is completely sure where the name "Louvre" came from. One idea is that it comes from a word related to a wolf hunting den.

The Louvre Palace has been changed and rebuilt many times. In the 1300s, Charles V changed the building from a military fort into a home. In 1546, Francis I began rebuilding it in a beautiful French Renaissance style. When King Louis XIV moved to Versailles in 1682, construction at the Louvre slowed down. The Louvre then became a place for artists to live and work, supported by the King.

The art collections at the Louvre began with the French kings. King Francis I, for example, collected many artworks. These included Leonardo da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa. By the mid-1700s, more and more people wanted a public art gallery in the Louvre.

The Museum Opens to the Public

The Louvre finally became a public museum during the French Revolution. In 1791, the government declared that the Louvre would be a place for all kinds of arts and sciences. When King Louis XVI was imprisoned in 1792, the royal art collection became property of the nation.

The museum opened on August 10, 1793. It was called Muséum central des Arts de la République. People could visit for free three days a week. This was seen as a big step forward. The museum displayed 537 paintings and 184 art objects. Most of these came from the royal collections or from churches. To make the collection bigger, the government set aside money each year. Later, France's armies started bringing artworks from other parts of Europe. This helped make the Louvre a very important museum.

In its early days, the museum was a bit messy. Paintings were hung very close together, and there were no labels. The building had some problems and closed in 1796. It reopened in 1801 with a better layout and new lighting.

Napoleon's Influence

In 1802, Napoleon appointed Dominique Vivant Denon as the museum's first director. In 1803, the museum was renamed Musée Napoléon. The collection grew even more during Napoleon's military campaigns. Artworks from Spain, Austria, the Netherlands, and Italy were brought to the Louvre. For example, the famous Horses of Saint Mark from Venice were brought to Paris.

After Napoleon's defeat, many of the artworks that had been taken were returned to their original owners. However, not all of them were given back.

Growth in the 1800s

For much of the 1800s, the Louvre continued to grow. New sections were added, sometimes called separate museums within the Louvre. During the time of Louis XVIII and Charles X, more artworks were added. A new gallery for Greek and Roman sculptures was finished.

In 1826, Charles X created the Egyptian Museum. This collection, which was later managed by Jean-François Champollion (who translated the Rosetta Stone), became the basis for the Louvre's Egyptian Antiquities Department. It grew with many important Egyptian artifacts.

Rooms of the Musée Charles X
First room
Room 27
Room 29
Salle des Colonnes
Room 35
Room 36
Room 38

The display in the Salon Carré, painted by Giuseppe Castiglione in 1861.

Under Napoleon III, the Louvre changed a lot. He added many new artworks, including 11,835 pieces from the Campana collection. Between 1852 and 1870, the museum added 20,000 new items. The building itself was also greatly expanded with new wings and spaces.

Challenges and Modernization

The Louvre almost suffered serious damage during the Paris Commune in 1871. A fire destroyed parts of the nearby Tuileries Palace and spread to a wing of the museum. But brave firefighters and museum staff saved most of the building.

After the monarchy ended, more parts of the Louvre building were given to the museum. The famous Winged Victory of Samothrace statue, found in 1863, was put on display in 1883. The museum also gained important artifacts from excavations in Iran.

The Louvre's monumental Escalier Daru, topped by the Winged Victory of Samothrace, took its current appearance in the early 1930s.

Over time, the Louvre decided to focus more on French, Western, and Near Eastern art. Collections of non-Western art, like Mexican and Asian art, were moved to other museums in Paris. However, the Louvre's first gallery for Islamic art opened in 1893.

During World War II, the Louvre carefully moved its art collection to safety. Many important artworks, including the Mona Lisa, were hidden in castles outside Paris. By early 1945, after France was freed, the art began to return to the Louvre.

The Grand Louvre Project

The Napoleon Courtyard and I. M. Pei's pyramid in its center, at dusk.

In 1981, French President François Mitterrand proposed a huge plan called the Grand Louvre. The idea was to move the Finance Ministry out of the Louvre's North Wing. This would allow almost the entire Louvre building to be used for the museum. In 1984, the architect I. M. Pei designed a new main entrance. It was an underground space accessed through a glass pyramid in the central courtyard.

The pyramid and its underground lobby opened in 1989. New galleries for French paintings also opened that year. In 1993, the renovated North (Richelieu) Wing opened. This was the biggest expansion in the museum's history. By 2002, the number of visitors to the Louvre had doubled thanks to these changes.

The Louvre in the 21st Century

In the 2000s, the Louvre continued to evolve. A new section for non-Western art opened in 2000. In 2003, a new department for Islamic art was created. This new section, with beautiful displays, opened in 2012.

The museum has also invited modern artists to create works for its spaces. For example, Cy Twombly created a new ceiling in 2010.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Louvre was closed for six months. Visitor numbers dropped a lot. However, they have been increasing again. In 2023, 8.9 million people visited the museum.

In preparation for the 2024 Summer Olympics, the Louvre held an exhibit about the history of the Olympic Games. In 2021, Laurence des Cars became the first woman director of the Louvre. The museum has also launched a digital platform where you can see most of its artworks online.

Louvre Collections

The Louvre Museum has 615,797 objects in its collection. About 35,000 of these artworks are on display in eight different sections. The Louvre has one of the world's largest art collections. It includes works from many different cultures and time periods. You can see famous pieces like the Mona Lisa and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. There are also artworks from ancient civilizations like Egypt, Greece, and Rome. The museum also has collections of decorative arts, Islamic art, and sculptures.

Ancient Egypt

The Egyptian antiquities section has over 50,000 pieces. These artifacts come from the ancient civilizations along the Nile River. They date from 4,000 BC to the 4th century AD. This collection is one of the largest in the world. It shows Egyptian life from different periods, including Ancient Egypt, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom.

The collection started with the royal family's art. It grew with Napoleon's trip to Egypt in 1798. After Jean-François Champollion translated the Rosetta Stone, an Egyptian Antiquities department was officially created. Important pieces like The Seated Scribe were added.

The collection is displayed in more than 20 rooms. You can see art, papyrus scrolls, mummies, tools, clothing, jewelry, and weapons. Famous pieces include the Gebel el-Arak Knife from 3400 BC and the Great Sphinx of Tanis.

The Gebel el-Arak Knife; 3300-3200 BC; made of ivory and flint.
The Great Sphinx of Tanis; around 2600 BC; made of rose granite.
Akhenaten and Nefertiti; 1345 BC; painted limestone.

Ancient Near East

The Near Eastern antiquities section started in 1881. It shows the early civilizations and "first settlements" of the Near East, before the arrival of Islam. This section is divided into three areas: the Levant, Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq), and Persia (modern-day Iran). The collection grew as archaeologists found amazing things, like the palace of Sargon II.

The museum has items from Sumer and the city of Akkad. These include the Stele of the Vultures from 2450 BC and a stele by King Naram-Sin. The famous Code of Hammurabi, discovered in 1901, is also here. This stone pillar shows ancient Babylonian Laws. You can also see the Statue of Ebih-Il from the ancient city of Mari.

A large part of this section covers the ancient Levant. This includes the Sarcophagus of Eshmunazar II. The Persian part of the Louvre has works from early times, like the Archers of Darius I.

Sarcophagus of Eshmunazar II, a rare ancient sarcophagus.
Phoenician metal bowls from Cyprus.
The Statue of Ebih-Il; around 2400 BC; made of gypsum, schist, shells, and lapis lazuli.
The Code of Hammurabi; 1755–1750 BC; made of basalt.
Assyrian lamassu (Human-headed winged bull); around 713–716 BC.
Frieze of archers, from the Palace of Darius at Susa; around 510 BC.
Statues from the Sidon Mithraeum.

Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Art

Greek antiquities in Room 11

This department shows pieces from the Mediterranean region. They date from the Neolithic period (New Stone Age) to the 6th century AD. The collection covers the time from early Greek civilizations to the end of the Roman Empire. This is one of the museum's oldest sections. It has works bought by Francis I.

The collection first focused on marble sculptures, like the famous Venus de Milo. Other works, like the Apollo Belvedere, arrived during the Napoleonic Wars. The museum also bought many vases and bronze items.

You can see early Greek art, like the limestone Lady of Auxerre from 640 BC. Later, art focused more on the human body, like the Borghese Gladiator. The Louvre has masterpieces from the Hellenistic period, including the Winged Victory of Samothrace (190 BC) and the Venus de Milo. These are symbols of classical art. Many Roman sculptures are also displayed, including portraits of important Roman figures.

Cycladic head of a woman; 27th century BC; made of marble.
The Winged Victory of Samothrace; 200–190 BC; made of Parian marble.

Islamic Art

The Islamic art collection is the newest department in the museum. It covers "thirteen centuries and three continents." These exhibits include ceramics, glass, metalware, wood, ivory, carpets, textiles, and miniatures. There are more than 5,000 artworks and 1,000 fragments. This collection became its own department in 2003.

Some important works include the Pyxis of al-Mughira, a 10th-century ivory box from Spain. Also, the Baptistery of Saint-Louis, an engraved brass basin from the 13th or 14th century. The collection also has pages from the Shahnameh, an epic book of poems from Persia. In 2019, a new and improved Islamic art department opened. It displays 3,000 pieces from Spain to India, dating from the 7th to the 19th centuries.

The Pyxis of al-Mughira; 10th century; made of ivory.
Iranian tile with bismillah; late 1200s or early 1300s; molded ceramic.
The Baptistère de Saint Louis; by Muhammad ibn al-Zayn; 1320–1340; made of brass, gold, and silver.
Door; 15th-16th century; sculpted, painted, and gilded walnut wood.

Sculptures

The Cour Marly of the Louvre, where many French sculptures are exhibited.

The sculpture department has artworks made before 1850. It doesn't include pieces from the Etruscan, Greek, and Roman department. The Louvre has had sculptures since it was a palace. But only ancient sculptures were shown until 1824, except for Michelangelo's Dying Slave and Rebellious Slave.

The collection started small, with only about 100 pieces. It grew when Léon Laborde took charge in 1847. He added medieval statues and sculptures. In 1986, all sculptures made after 1850 were moved to the new Musée d'Orsay. The Grand Louvre project divided the department into two areas. French sculptures are in the Richelieu Wing, and foreign works are in the Denon Wing.

The French sculpture collection includes Romanesque works like the 11th-century Daniel in the Lions' Den. From the Renaissance, you can see works by Jean Goujon. Later, there are pieces like Gian Lorenzo Bernini's Bust of Cardinal Richelieu and Antonio Canova's Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss.

The Tomb of Philippe Pot; 1477 and 1483; made of limestone, paint, gold, and lead.
The King's Fame Riding Pegasus; by Antoine Coysevox; 1701–1702; made of Carrara marble.
Louis XV as Jupiter; 1731; probably marble.

Decorative Arts

Some of the Second Empire style rooms of the apartments of Napoleon III

The Decorative Arts collection covers items from the Middle Ages to the mid-1800s. This department started as part of the sculpture department. It included royal items and pieces from the Basilique Saint-Denis, where French kings were buried. Some of the most valuable early works were stone vases and bronzes.

The collection grew with gifts and purchases. The Durand collection in 1825 added "ceramics, enamels, and stained glass." The Sauvageot donation added 1,500 medieval and faïence (tin-glazed pottery) works. In 1862, the Campana collection added gold jewelry and maiolicas (Italian pottery).

The artworks are shown on the first floor of the Richelieu Wing and in the Apollo Gallery. The medieval collection has the coronation crown of Louis XIV and Charles V's sceptre. Renaissance art includes a bronze by Giambologna and the tapestry Maximillian's Hunt. From later periods, you can see Madame de Pompadour's Sèvres vase collection and Napoleon III's apartments.

Louis XIV style cabinet on stand; by André Charles Boulle; around 1690–1710.
Louis XVI style commode of Madame du Barry; 1772.
Louis XVI style barometer-thermometer; around 1776.

Painting Collection

Mona Lisa; by Leonardo da Vinci, around 1503–1506.

The painting collection has more than 7,500 works. They date from the 13th century to 1848. Nearly two-thirds of the paintings are by French artists. More than 1,200 are from Northern Europe. The Italian paintings mostly come from the collections of Francis I and Louis XIV. Some were also bought or were returned after the Napoleon era.

The collection started with King Francis I, who bought works from Italian masters like Raphael and Michelangelo. He also brought Leonardo da Vinci to his court. After the French Revolution, the royal paintings became the main part of the Louvre's collection. In 1986, paintings made after 1848 were moved to the new Musée d'Orsay. French and Northern European works are in the Richelieu Wing. Spanish and Italian paintings are on the first floor of the Denon Wing.

Famous French paintings include the Pietà of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and the portrait of King Jean le Bon. You can also see Jacques-Louis David's The Coronation of Napoleon and Eugène Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People.

Northern European works include Johannes Vermeer's The Lacemaker and The Astronomer. Rembrandt's The Supper at Emmaus is also here.

The Italian collection is very important, especially the Renaissance art. It includes Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Virgin and Child with St. Anne, and St. John the Baptist. From the Baroque period, you can see works by Caravaggio, like The Fortune Teller.

The Money Changer and His Wife; by Quentin Massys; 1514.
Spring; by Giuseppe Arcimboldo; 1573.
The Continence of Scipio; by Giambattista Pittoni; 1733.
Oath of the Horatii; by Jacques-Louis David; 1784.
The Coronation of Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David.

Paintings by Leonardo da Vinci purchased by François I
Virgin of the Rocks
The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne (Leonardo)

Prints and Drawings

The prints and drawings department has works on paper. The collection started with 8,600 works from the Royal Collection. It grew through government purchases and gifts. The department opened in 1797.

The collection is divided into three parts. These include the original Royal Collection, 14,000 royal copper printing-plates, and the gifts from Edmond James de Rothschild. His donation included 40,000 prints, 3,000 drawings, and 5,000 illustrated books. These works are displayed in the Pavillon de Flore. Because paper is fragile, only a small part of the collection is shown at one time.

Three lion-like heads; by Charles Le Brun; around 1671.
Studies of Women's Heads and a Man's Head; by Antoine Watteau; first half of the 18th century.
Danseuse sur la scène; by Edgar Degas; a pastel drawing.
Portrait of elderly woman, by Matthias Grünewald.
Portrait of a young woman, by Hans Holbein.
Head of a man, by Andrea del Sarto.

How the Louvre is Managed

Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is the Louvre's most popular attraction.

Restoration workshops in the Louvre.

The Louvre is owned by the French government. Since the 1990s, it has become more independent in how it is run. Since 2003, the museum has had to raise money for its projects. By 2006, government funding had dropped. Now, the Louvre raises almost as much money as it gets from the state. The government pays for daily costs like salaries and maintenance. The museum has to find money for new wings, renovations, and buying new art. The Louvre also earns money by putting on exhibitions for other museums.

The museum also earned money when it was featured in The Da Vinci Code book and movie. In 2008, the French government provided a large part of the Louvre's budget. The rest came from private donations and ticket sales.

The Louvre has a staff of 2,000 people. It is led by a Director, who reports to the French Ministry of Culture. The current director is Laurence des Cars, the first woman to hold this position. The museum has changed its rules to lend and borrow more artworks. This helps it get more foreign works for display.

In 2012, the Louvre and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco started a five-year partnership. They work together on exhibitions, publications, and art care. The expansion of the Islamic Art galleries in 2012 received money from the government and from foundations in other countries. The Louvre also gets money from the Louvre Abu Dhabi for using its name and lending art.

In March 2018, an exhibition of artworks from the Louvre was held in Tehran, Iran. This was part of an agreement between Iran and France. It showed ancient Egyptian, Roman, and Mesopotamian items, as well as French royal pieces.

In 2019, the Louvre held the largest exhibition ever of Leonardo da Vinci's work. It had over a hundred items, including paintings, drawings, and notebooks. The Mona Lisa was not part of this special exhibit. It stayed in its usual gallery because so many visitors want to see it.

In 2021, a ceremonial helmet and breastplate that were stolen from the museum in 1983 were found and returned. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Louvre launched a digital platform. Now, most of its artworks, even those not on display, can be seen online.

In 2023, the Louvre Museum raised its ticket prices. This was the first price increase since 2017. This change helps the museum manage crowds and support free entry during the Olympics. The museum is limiting daily visitors to 30,000. It is also planning a new entrance to help with busy times.

Louvre Satellite Museums

The Louvre has other museums that are connected to it, even if they are not in the main Louvre Palace. Since 2019, the Louvre also has a large art storage and research building in France.

Louvre-Lens

The Louvre-Lens is a satellite museum that opened in 2012 in the town of Lens. This museum was created to bring the Louvre's art to more people outside Paris. It was built on a former mining site.

The Louvre-Lens displays about 200 artworks from the main Louvre museum. These are shown in a single large room called the "gallery of time." The artworks are arranged in time order, not by where they came from or what type of object they are. This helps visitors see how art changed throughout history. The Louvre-Lens has been very popular, attracting around 500,000 visitors each year.

Louvre Abu Dhabi

The Louvre Abu Dhabi is a separate museum, but it has a special agreement with the Louvre. This agreement allows the museum in Abu Dhabi to use the Louvre name until 2037. It can also show artworks from the Louvre until 2027.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi opened in 2017. It is located on Saadiyat Island and was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel. The museum has a unique metallic dome that lets light shine through, like sunlight through palm trees. The Louvre Abu Dhabi pays a large amount of money to the Louvre for using its name, advice, and art loans. Artworks are loaned from many French museums, including the Louvre itself.

Images for kids

Ceiling decorations designed by Félix Duban in the Salon Carré, late 1840s.
Ceiling decorations designed by Félix Duban in the Salle des Sept-Cheminées, late 1840s.
Entrance to a section of the Musée Napoléon III from the salle des séances.
Galerie Daru, part of the New Louvre building program under Napoleon III.
Salle Daru above the galerie Daru, also created under Napoleon III.
Escalier Mollien in the New Louvre.
Salle des Empereurs.
Memorial plaques honoring the Louvre's defenders in May 1871.
Seating designed by Pierre Paulin in the late 1960s, Grande Galerie.
Marc Saltet's 1972 museography for the Salon Carré, with "dos-à-dos" seat designed in 1967 by Pierre Paulin.
Ceiling by Cy Twombly installed in 2010 in the Salle des Bronzes.
The Pavillon des Sessions's display of non-Western art from the Musée du Quai Branly, opened in 2000.
The Cour Visconti's ground floor covered to host the new Islamic Art Department in 2012.
Islamic art display in the covered Cour Visconti, 2012.
Underground display of the Islamic Art Department, 2012.
Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt is seen with a plaster model of the Venus de Milo, while visiting the Louvre with the curator Alfred Merlin on 7 October 1940.
List of excavations that benefited the Louvre (Rotonde d'Apollon).