L IS FOR LOUVRE, THE A TO Z’S OF ART

THE LOUVRE

Today’s post is going to be pretty short and sweet – listing some interesting facts about the Louvre, located in Paris.

  • built as a fortress in the 14th Century
  • was a palace for a while in the 16th Century
  • became a museum open to the public in 1793
  • you can visit the apartment of Napoleon III
  • the most famous piece of art at the Louvre is probably the Mona Lisa, which was stolen in 1911.

newspaper article about the theft of the Mona Lisa

  • Picasso was questioned about the theft and his friend, the poet Apollinaire was actually briefly accused
  •  no one noticed the theft for 24 hours
  • you can read about the theft in the book The Vanished Smile
  • there are has approximately one million pieces of art, and around 35,000 are on display at any given time
  • to see the 35,000 pieces on display, spending one minute at each one, it would take approximately 100 days looking 24/7 without a break.
  • The Pyramid consists of 603 rhombus shaped and 70 triangular glass segments.
  • one can enter the Carosel de Louvre through the Pyramid, which has a McDonalds, Virgin Megatores, Apple, Esprit and even a Hertz.
  • it is closed on Tuesday
  • official website


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