french pronounced french world largest museum historic monument paris france central landmark city located 1st ward nearly objects 21st century exhibited area square metres square feet world second visited museum china receiving million visitors museum housed palace originally built fortress late 12th century remnants fortress visible basement museum building extended times form present palace chose household leaving primarily place display royal collection including collection ancient greek roman sculpture building occupied sculpture held series remained years french revolution decreed museum display nation museum opened august exhibition paintings majority works royal confiscated church property structural problems building museum closed collection increased napoleon museum renamed napoleon works seized armies returned original owners collection increased reigns second french empire museum gained pieces holdings grown steadily donations republic collection divided departments egyptian greek roman sculpture decorative arts paintings prints drawings history 12th 20th centuries medieval renaissance palace palace houses museum begun fortress 12th century remnants building visible building spot known possible philip modified existing tower according authoritative derives association wolf hunting den latin lower empire 7th century left villa called situated region paris monastery territory probably correspond exactly modern site altered frequently middle ages 14th century converted building residence francis renovated site french renaissance style francis acquired nucleus holdings acquisitions including chose versailles residence constructions slowed permitted residence artists century increasing number proposals create public gallery art critic publishing display royal collection october agreed sanctioned display pieces royal collection mounted palace hall opened public viewing roy saturdays contained works closing result gift palace future king king royal museum idea policy collection proposed conversion contained maps proposals offered renovation museum agreed museum remained incomplete french revolution french revolution french revolution transformed public museum assembly declared place bringing monuments sciences arts august imprisoned royal collection national property fear vandalism theft august pronounced museum preparation urgent october committee preserve national memory began assembling collection display opening museum opened august anniversary monarchy demise public given free access days week perceived major accomplishment generally appreciated collection showcased paintings objects art quarters derived royal collections remainder confiscated church property expand organize collection republic dedicated year france revolutionary armies began bringing pieces augmented treaty works vatican sons establish museum sign popular sovereignty early days privileged artists continued live residence paintings hung frame frame floor ceiling structure closed structural deficiencies reopened july arranged new lighting columns napoleon napoleon northern wing paralleling begun collection grew successful military campaigns following egyptian campaign appointed museum director tribute museum renamed acquisitions spanish austrian dutch italian works treaties treaty end napoleon treaty signed count von treaty marked completion napoleon conquest italy end phases french revolutionary wars treaty italian cities required contribute pieces art napoleon booty paris famous pieces taken program antique bronze horses adorned venice sack constantinople brought paris reside atop napoleon paris churches palaces including looted french outraged italians artistic cultural treaty signed napoleon statues taken paris statues previously vatican housed defeat napoleon returned italy remained seen collections today italian peninsula region napoleon took art government napoleon general led expedition egypt campaign effort government goal paris center art science culture wanted france assume responsibility works art deemed danger order protect heritage culture subjects result teams artists scientists accompanied armies battle equipped lists paintings sculptures pieces collected shipped france napoleon art advisor accompanied expedition egypt initiative valley kings egypt discovered studied extensively result later installed napoleon director status museum center global cultural heritage important discoveries napoleon campaign egypt discovered eventually led ability ancient discovered french actually seized following defeat napoleon egypt subsequent signing treaty alexandria display french defeat works owners sought return administrators comply hid works private collections response foreign states sent london seek help pieces returned restored finally concluded agreements austrian government keeping pieces wedding exchanged large collection restoration second empire restoration added pieces cost created department egyptian increased works acquisition egyptian collection second collection given rehabilitation versailles suffered relative rest paris creation french second republic new government allocated million repair work ordered completion salon bought artworks including paintings greek gold collection second french empire french economy grew museum added new pieces collections architects republic world wars republic acquired new pieces mainly donations gifts donated expedition uncovered sculpture piece heavily damaged prominently displayed item collection donated included works bath museum expansion slowed world war collection acquire significant new works exceptions baron donation drawings illustrated books world war museum removed art hid valuable pieces germany occupied important artworks lisa temporarily moved war formally declared year later museum paintings sent select sculptures sent august days packing truck convoys began leave paris december museum cleared works heavy paintings left basement early liberation france art began returning grand achieved present form rectangular structure wing east containing square oldest parts wings wrap wing north borders south french president proposed plan building relocate allowing displays building architect awarded project proposed glass pyramid stand new entrance main court pyramid underground lobby inaugurated october pyramid completed second phase plan completed attendance doubled completion 21st century contains objects displays works art departments square metres dedicated permanent collection exhibits sculptures art paintings drawings archaeological finds world second visited museum averaging visitors day percent foreign tourists architects won international competition create new galleries islamic art new pavilion eventually opened consisting lower ground level interior spaces topped golden roof fashioned steel tubes form interior web float neo classical middle south wing galleries museum initially hoped open represent major architectural intervention addition glass pyramid february archaeologists protesting commercial private involvement protect france heritage blocked ticket facilitate free access museum announcement reading free entrance offered attached ticket desk number people visited museum free charge owned french government 1990s independent museum required generate funds projects government funds percent total budget percent year raises gets state million government pays operating costs salaries safety maintenance rest new wings acquisitions museum finance million million year raised exhibitions museums host museum keeps ticket money point interest book code film based book museum earned million allowing filming galleries french government provided million yearly million budget remainder came private contributions ticket sales employs staff led director reports replaced april replaced undergone policy changes allow lend borrow works loaned works enabled borrow foreign works lent artwork atlanta georgia received million payment renovations san_francisco announced year collaboration exhibitions publications art conservation educational programming million expansion galleries received state funding million million foundation founded eponymous prince republic kuwait sultan king morocco donated total million addition opening supposed provide million course years use museum prestigious brand tried improve weak parts collection income generated loans art receipts taken annually acquisitions administrative independence museum achieved percent galleries open daily opposed percent previously oversaw creation extended hours free admission friday nights increase acquisition budget million million satellite museums lens french officials decided build satellite museum site abandoned coal pit mining town lens relieve crowded increase total museum visits improve industrial north economy cities considered project sur lens french prime minister chose lens site new building called lens japanese architects selected design lens project museum officials predicted new building capable receiving works art attract visitors year opened march announced museum completed year agreement signed french culture minister establish museum exchange billion designed french architect engineering firm occupy square metres covered roof shaped like flying france agreed rotate artworks year period provide management expertise provide temporary exhibitions year years art come multiple museums including versailles conservation minister culture approved plan created storage facility northwest paris hold objects national museums paris flood zone plan later scrapped successor announced works art held square metres basement storage area cost project estimated million split region sole owner manager store july team led british firm rogers harbour partners selected design complex light filled work spaces vast green roof controversial acquisitions involved controversies surround cultural property seized napoleon world war nazis nazi occupation thousands artworks stolen war articles seized artworks returned france assigned entrusted pieces including paintings order appropriate conditions conservation classified english pieces believed come jewish identification rightful owners declined end 1960s registered indefinitely separate museum collections exhibited shown public years order allow rightful identify properties stored displayed according interest french museums including pieces november partly illustrated catalogue accessible online completed prime minister initiated headed investigate matter according government charge pieces artwork rightful owners late 1990s comparison american war archives french german ones court cases finally settled heirs rights families allowed accurate investigations according formal criteria concerned pieces paintings including displayed claims french owners heirs ended according complete constant publicity artworks got majority french jewish community favour return normal french civil rule good long period time consequently ultimate integration common french heritage instead transfer foreign institutions like world war june accused israeli students napoleon campaigns acquired italian pieces treaties war northern european pieces excavated egypt vast majority seized war british army collections hand like stone claimed egypt acquired egyptian anti export legislation administration argued favor retaining item despite requests egypt return museum arbitration sessions held countries origin museum consequently returned egyptian fragments existence tomb origin brought authorities attention years good faith acquisition museum private collections necessary respect procedure french public collections commission des collections des france collections contains objects displays works art departments egyptian department comprising pieces includes artifacts date 4th century collection world largest egyptian life spanning art roman byzantine periods department origins lie royal collection augmented napoleon expeditionary trip future director translated decreed egyptian department created advised purchase collections formed additions added works growth continued acquisitions founder cairo excavations memphis sent archaeological finds including seated guarded collection housed rooms holdings include art tools clothing jewelry games musical instruments weapons pieces ancient period include knife seated head king art known gold work statues moved realism exemplified statue wooden offering bearer egyptian sections deep statue goddess limestone depiction goddess demonstrate sentiment wealth near eastern near eastern second newest department dates presents overview early near eastern civilization settlements arrival islam department divided geographic areas persia iran collection development corresponds archaeological work expedition discovery palace finds formed basis museum precursor today department museum contains exhibits city monuments erected celebrate victory metre code discovered displays prominently man ignorance 18th century mural 25th century found ancient city state display museum persian portion contains work archaic period like head section contains rare objects lent exhibition greek roman greek roman department displays pieces dating 6th century collection spans period decline department museum oldest began appropriated royal art acquired collection focused marble sculptures works arrived napoleonic wars pieces returned napoleon fall 19th century acquired works including collection archaic demonstrated jewellery pieces limestone lady cylindrical circa 4th century focus human form increased exemplified holds era including symbolic classical art long displays outstanding collection thousand greek galleries paralleling museum roman sculpture displayed roman representative genre examples include portraits islamic art islamic art collection museum newest spans thirteen centuries continents exhibits comprising glass wood ivory carpet include works originally decorative arts department holdings separate works 10th century ivory box engraved brass basin 13th 14th century period 10th century iran collection contains pages epic book poems persian syrian named sculpture sculpture department comprises work created belong greek roman department sculpted material time palace ancient architecture displayed initially collection included pieces rest royal sculpture collection versailles remained small given control department developed medieval section purchased statues sculptures collection king door respectively collection given autonomy director organized wider representation french works works relocated new project separated department exhibition spaces french collection displayed wing foreign works wing collection overview french sculpture contains works 11th century daniel lions den 12th century virgin 16th century renaissance influence caused french sculpture restrained seen descent christ 17th 18th centuries represented bust cardinal woman bathing works includes 18th 19th centuries represented french sculptor decorative arts art collection spans time middle ages mid-19th century department began sculpture department based royal property transfer work saint burial ground french monarchs held coronation sword kings france collection prized works collection acquisition added stained glass pieces given onset interest renaissance medieval artwork donation expanded department middle age works collection added gold jewelry mainly 15th 16th centuries works displayed wing floor named painter commissioned space solar theme medieval collection contains coronation crown 12th century renaissance art holdings include bronze hunt later periods highlights include collection apartments september dedicated display donated including 16th century suite gold silver threads representing sea commissioned paris secretary state navy painting painting collection works 13th century managed oversee collection display nearly thirds french artists northern european italian paintings compose remnants francis collections artwork napoleon era bought collection began francis acquired works italian masters brought court french revolution formed nucleus train station converted collection split pieces completed revolution moved new museum french northern european works wing spanish italian paintings floor wing early anonymous painting king jean possibly oldest independent portrait western painting survive era coronation napoleon liberty leading people northern european works include tree supper bath slaughtered italian holdings notable particularly renaissance collection works include reflect realism detail meant depict significant events greater spiritual world high renaissance collection includes virgin child john baptist madonna rocks represented death virgin 16th century venice displays concert largest contribution person history gave paintings personal collection museum included player topic exhibition collection best known paintings museum prints drawings prints drawings department encompasses works paper origins collection works cabinet increased state appropriation purchases works collection donations department opened august pieces displayed collection organized sections core cabinet royal copper printing plates donations include prints drawings illustrated books holdings displayed paper medium portion displayed time location access facilities museum lies center paris neighborhood known 1st home palace closed western end entrance courtyard heavily damaged fire later demolished adjacent gardens created designed gardens house contemporary art exhibition space store confiscated jewish cultural property german occupation france parallel home famous water paintings slightly historic axis axe roughly kilometre mile architectural line city begins east courtyard runs west burning palace revealed slightly axe despite past appearances contrary reached royal stations entrances main entrance pyramid entrance underground shopping mall entrance near western end wing main entrance museum shopping mall operated stores apple store france mcdonald restaurant presence created controversy use cameras video permitted inside flash photography forbidden gallery
Louvre