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Louvre Museum

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Louvre Museum

📍 Paris, France · Founded 1793

The most visited art museum in the world is housed in a former royal palace in the heart of Paris, with a glass pyramid in its courtyard. It holds the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and more than 30,000 works from ancient times to the 1800s.

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History of the museum

The Louvre began as a fortress in about 1190, built by King Philip II to defend Paris. It was rebuilt as a royal palace in the 1500s, and King Louis XIV moved to Versailles in 1682, leaving the old palace to artists and scholars. After the French Revolution, the new government opened it as a public museum in 1793, with royal and church treasures that now belonged to the nation. Napoleon filled it with art from his conquests, much of which had to be returned in 1815. The glass pyramid by I. M. Pei, which serves as the main entrance, opened in 1989.

Top pieces

In our gallery from here (102)

Mona Lisa Mona LisaLeonardo da Vinci · 1503 Liberty Leading the People Liberty Leading the PeopleEugène Delacroix · 1830 The Raft of the Medusa The Raft of the MedusaThéodore Géricault · 1819 The Oath of the Horatii The Oath of the HoratiiJacques-Louis David · 1784 The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne The Virgin and Child with Saint AnneLeonardo da Vinci · 1511 La Belle Ferronnière La Belle FerronnièreLeonardo da Vinci · 1495 Saint John the Baptist Saint John the BaptistLeonardo da Vinci · 1514 The Astronomer The AstronomerJohannes Vermeer · 1664 The Wedding at Cana The Wedding at CanaPaolo Veronese · 1562 Death of the Virgin Death of the VirginCaravaggio · 1603 The Barque of Dante The Barque of DanteEugène Delacroix · 1822 Ship of Fools Ship of FoolsHieronymus Bosch · 1500 Madonna of Chancellor Rolin Madonna of Chancellor RolinJan van Eyck · 1500 The Fortune Teller The Fortune TellerCaravaggio · 1594 The Lacemaker The LacemakerJohannes Vermeer · 1669 La Belle Jardinière La Belle JardinièreRaphael · 1500 The Intervention of the Sabine Women The Intervention of the Sabine WomenJacques-Louis David · 1799 The Embarkation for Cythera The Embarkation for CytheraJean-Antoine Watteau · 1717 Napoleon I on his Imperial Throne Napoleon I on his Imperial ThroneJean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres · 1806 Bacchus BacchusFrancesco Melzi · 1510 The Women of Algiers The Women of AlgiersEugène Delacroix · 1834 An Old Man and his Grandson An Old Man and his GrandsonDomenico Ghirlandaio · 1490 Portrait of the Artist Holding a Thistle Portrait of the Artist Holding a ThistleAlbrecht Dürer · 1493 Woman with a Mirror Woman with a MirrorTitian · 1515 Orphan Girl at the Cemetery Orphan Girl at the CemeteryEugène Delacroix · 1824 Gipsy Girl Gipsy GirlFrans Hals · 1626 Portrait of Madame Récamier Portrait of Madame RécamierJacques-Louis David · 1800 Portrait of Monsieur Bertin Portrait of Monsieur BertinJean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres · 1832 Madonna della Vittoria Madonna della VittoriaAndrea Mantegna · 1495 Magdalena Ventura with Her Husband and Son Magdalena Ventura with Her Husband and SonJusepe de Ribera · 1631 The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of His SonsJacques-Louis David · 1789 Oedipus and the Sphinx Oedipus and the SphinxJean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres · 1808 Portrait of a Princess Portrait of a PrincessPisanello · 1437 Andromache Mourning Hector Andromache Mourning HectorJacques-Louis David · 1782 The Apotheosis of Homer The Apotheosis of HomerJean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres · 1827 Braque Triptych Braque TriptychRogier van der Weyden · 1452 The Moneylender and his Wife The Moneylender and his WifeQuinten Metsys · 1514 The Cheat with the Ace of Diamonds The Cheat with the Ace of DiamondsGeorges de La Tour · 1635 The Clubfoot The ClubfootJusepe de Ribera · 1642 The Lock The LockJean-Honoré Fragonard · 1777 Paris and Helen Paris and HelenJacques-Louis David · 1788 Mademoiselle Caroline Rivière Mademoiselle Caroline RivièreJean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres · 1806 The 1821 Derby at Epsom The 1821 Derby at EpsomThéodore Géricault · 1821 Entry of the Crusaders in Constantinople Entry of the Crusaders in ConstantinopleEugène Delacroix · 1840 Madonna with the Blue Diadem Madonna with the Blue DiademGianfrancesco Penni · 1515 Charles I at the Hunt Charles I at the HuntAnthony van Dyck · 1635 Pierrot PierrotJean-Antoine Watteau · 1718 Triumph of the Virtues Triumph of the VirtuesAndrea Mantegna · 1487 Portrait of Louis XIV Portrait of Louis XIVHyacinthe Rigaud · 1701 Tree of crows Tree of crowsCaspar David Friedrich · 1822 Portrait of Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta Portrait of Sigismondo Pandolfo MalatestaPiero della Francesca · 1450 Visitation VisitationDomenico Ghirlandaio · 1491 Apollo and Marsyas Apollo and MarsyasPietro Perugino · 1497 Parnassus ParnassusAndrea Mantegna · 1500 The Ray The RayJean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin · 1727 The Fight Between Mars and Minerva The Fight Between Mars and MinervaJacques-Louis David · 1771 Portrait of Pope Pius VII Portrait of Pope Pius VIIJacques-Louis David · 1805 The Bridge at Narni The Bridge at NarniJean-Baptiste Camille Corot · 1826 Jewish Wedding in Morocco Jewish Wedding in MoroccoEugène Delacroix · 1839 Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria with Saint Sebastian Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria with Saint SebastianAntonio da Correggio · 1526 Self-Portrait Self-PortraitJacopo Tintoretto · 1587 Jester with lute Jester with luteFrans Hals · 1624 Echo and Narcissus Echo and NarcissusNicolas Poussin · 1629 The broken pitcher The broken pitcherJean-Baptiste Greuze · 1771 Self-Portrait with Her Daughter, Julie Self-Portrait with Her Daughter, JulieÉlisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun · 1789 Ferdinand Guillemardet Ferdinand GuillemardetFrancisco Goya · 1798 Crucifixion with St Dominic praying Crucifixion with St Dominic prayingFra Angelico · 1438 Portrait of a Man, called condottiere Portrait of a Man, called condottiereAntonello da Messina · 1475 Combat of Love and Chastity Combat of Love and ChastityPietro Perugino · 1503 The Carrying of the Cross The Carrying of the CrossLorenzo Lotto · 1526 Portrait of Nicholas Kratzer Portrait of Nicholas KratzerHans Holbein the Younger · 1528 The Raising of Lazarus The Raising of LazarusGuercino · 1619 The Plague at Ashdod The Plague at AshdodNicolas Poussin · 1630 L'Indifférent L'IndifférentJean-Antoine Watteau · 1717 Boy with a Spinning-Top Boy with a Spinning-TopJean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin · 1738 Portrait of Madame Marie-Louise Trudaine Portrait of Madame Marie-Louise TrudaineJacques-Louis David · 1794 Portrait of Pierre Sériziat Portrait of Pierre SériziatJacques-Louis David · 1795 Portrait of Madeleine Portrait of MadeleineMarie-Guillemine Benoist · 1800 The Charging Chasseur The Charging ChasseurThéodore Géricault · 1812 A Young Tiger Playing with its Mother A Young Tiger Playing with its MotherEugène Delacroix · 1830 Madonna of Jacob Floreins Madonna of Jacob FloreinsHans Memling · 1485 Madonna and Child with Two Angels, Saint Rose and Saint Catherine Madonna and Child with Two Angels, Saint Rose and Saint CatherinePietro Perugino · 1487 Saint Sebastian Saint SebastianPietro Perugino · 1490 Triptych of the Sedano family Triptych of the Sedano familyGerard David · 1492 Madonna and Child with Saints John the Baptist and Catherine of Alexandria Madonna and Child with Saints John the Baptist and Catherine of AlexandriaPietro Perugino · 1495 Madonna and Child with Saint Anne and Four Saints Madonna and Child with Saint Anne and Four SaintsPontormo · 1529 Resurrection of Christ Resurrection of ChristAnnibale Carracci · 1593 The Apotheosis of St. Thomas of Aquino The Apotheosis of St. Thomas of AquinoFrancisco de Zurbarán · 1631 Et in Arcadia ego Et in Arcadia egoNicolas Poussin · 1638 The Presentation in the Temple The Presentation in the TempleSimon Vouet · 1640 The Judgment of Solomon The Judgment of SolomonNicolas Poussin · 1649 Saint Sebastian Attended by Saint Irene Saint Sebastian Attended by Saint IreneGeorges de La Tour · 1649 Adoration of the Shepherds (1688) Adoration of the Shepherds (1688)Luca Giordano · 1688 The Faux Pas The Faux PasJean-Antoine Watteau · 1717 The Penitent Magdalene Comforted by Angels The Penitent Magdalene Comforted by AngelsJosefa de Óbidos · 1679 Moses saved from the waters Moses saved from the watersCharles de La Fosse · 1701 The two cousins The two cousinsJean-Antoine Watteau · 1716 The Adoration of the Shepherds The Adoration of the ShepherdsCharles Le Brun · 1689 Melancholia MelancholiaDomenico Fetti · 1700 Portrait of Paulus van Beresteyn Portrait of Paulus van BeresteynFrans Hals · 1700 Bad Company Bad CompanyJan Steen · 1700 The Molo, Seen from the Bacino di San Marco The Molo, Seen from the Bacino di San MarcoGiovanni Antonio Canal · 1720

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