By: Joey Villanueva & Samantha Serna

Le Musée de Louvre

Le Musée de Louvre is one of the most famous, if not the most famous, art museums in the entire world.

It is located in the center Paris, France on the North bank of Seine and owned and maintained by the French Government.

It is housed in a 13th Century French Palace, which is one of the largest in the world.

What is it and Where is it located?

In 1204, Phillip II built a fort on the site where the museum now stands. This fort eventually became a palace.

Later in 1546, Francis I, an art collector, was tired of the fort/palace and had it destroyed and built a new palace in it’s place, Le Louvre.

A Fort

Additions Le Louvre has been added

onto by every subsequent French monarch of its time.

The part of Le Louvre built under Francis I is now the southwestern part of the Cour Carrée.

During Henry IV, in the early 17th century, the Grande Galerie was built which is now the main picture gallery.

The Colonnade was planned by a committee consisting of the architects Claude Perrault and Louis Le Vau and the decorator and painter Charles Le Brun.

1204 Philip II built the original Louvre as a fort.

Later constructed to be a royal residence, that is until Louis XIV moved his court to versailles.

In 1793, Le Louvre was made into a public museum.

Under Napoleon, a wing on the north side was completed. The Richelieu Wing and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs now occupy this area.

By the Mid 19th century, 48 acres were completed.

Treasures Inside: In 1805 Napoleon took works of

art seized during his European conquests and put them into the Louvre collection.

After his defeat in 1815, much of the art was returned to its rightful owners.

Le Louvre contains many prized treasures, among its greatest are two of the most famous sculptures of the ancient world, the Nike of Samothráki, or Winged Victory, and the Venus de Milo, and Leonardo’s painting the Mona Lisa.

The Louvre has more than 5,000 paintings.

Masterpieces by such painters as Titian, Raphael, Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci Murillo, Dürer, Holbein, Rubens, and Vandyke are withheld at the Louvre.

Also contains the art collection owned by Charles I of England.

"Louvre Museum." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition.Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Web. 3  Feb.  2011.<http://school.eb.com/eb/article-9049115>.

Facts On File, Inc. "Louvre." World Geography and Culture Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 3 Feb. 2011. <http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE39&Details.aspx&iPin= NS101005&SingleRecord=True>

. "LOUVRE." (n.d.): Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. EBSCO. Web. 3 Feb. 2011.<http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?hid=12&sid=ee6dc1c9-881d-4632-a50f-03397c7691ca%40sessionmgr15&vid=5&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=funk&AN=LO095000>

Bibliography

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Bibliography - Pictures