1. The Louvre Cosette

2.  The Louvre’s Architecture spans over several centuries.  The Louvre has one of the richest collections of art in the world.  The Louvre is an incredible place to visit.

3. End of show Just kidding!

4. The Louvre was a medieval fortress, called Lupara it was built in 1200. When translated into French the word 'Lupara' became Louvre. (according to the book Louvre by Pierre Quoniam)

5. Treasures of the Louvre by Maria Costantino states, “It is possible that there was a Frankish tower or fortified camp on the site of the Louvre.... Since the name 'Louvre' itself may be derived from the Frankish louver, meaning fortified chateau. Alternately the origin of the name may be derived from louveterie, the headquarters of the wolf hunt, or even the name of a leper colony.” (page 6)

6. When the Louvre was no longer useful as a fortress Charles V enlarged it to serve as a palace. But the 100 Year War distracted the sovereigns from the Louvre. Francois I had the keep demolished and the rest of the building replaced with a renaissance style building. The transformation was overseen by several architects and rulers before it was completed.

7. Napoleon Bonaparte made few contributions to the Louvre. He did, however, contribute lighting and some paintings to the collection however. This Lion's Gate and one of the courtyards are named after him.

8. Catherine de' Medici had two large galleries built near the Louvre. These are known as the Tuileries. Below is a picture of the Tuileries’ gardens.

9. The concept of the Louvre being a public art gallery came about during the French revolution. But it was not actually public for many more years. Unsuccessfully proposed to Louis XV, the idea was reintroduced under Louis XVI. Unfortunately the project had to be abandoned because of the crown's financial difficulties. During the 18th century The Count d'Angiviller helped plan the museum and collected artwork. When the Louvre finally opened in 1793 only the Great Gallery was on display.

10. The Louvre's main entrance is the famous glass pyramid by Chinese born architect I.M. Pei. The Pyramid angered locals when it was first constructed because it contrasts the elegant style of the Louvre.

11. I.M. Pei was a brilliant man. “Ieoh Ming Pei was born on April 26, 1917 in China. He came to America in the mid 1930’s and today he is one of the most recognizable architects in the world. I.M Pei first attended the University of Pennsylvania, but he lacked confidence, he thought his drawing skills were not up to par with his peers so he dropped out and headed to MIT for an engineering course. Pei was soon talked into returning to architecture by an instructor and attended Harvard’s graduate school of design where he studied under Walter Gropius.” (Archpedia.com)

12. I.M. Pei’s Main Entrance contrasts to the rest of the building. As you can see from the Stair <- - that is located inside of the Pyramid and this stair (pictured below) that is located inside of the older section museum. The Pyramid project was part of a major renovation which included, “A vast underground complex of offices, shops, exhibition spaces, storage areas, and parking areas, as well as an auditorium, a tourist bus depot, and a cafeteria.” (Encyclopedia Britannica. 15th Edition. Book 7. page 515)

13. The Louvre Today

14. The Louvre is in the 1st Arrondissement which is in the center of Paris. It is surrounded by fountains and water displays in the front and back and main courtyard; which give the Louvre the appearance of standing on extensive grounds, when it is really in the center of a city.

15. The fact that the Louvre has beautiful grounds, is not common knowledge to people who are unfamiliar with France.

16. The Louvre is located on the Seine River. From the Louvre’s grounds you can view the world renown river. The Seine River flows from the English Channel's Baie de la Seine through Paris. It then splits into several other waterways and travels into the heart of France.

17. The Louvre welcomes over five million annual visitors on average (5.9 million in 1998). Below is an aerial view of the Louvre. I.M Pei’s Pyramid > Seine River General admission is 8.5 Euro = 10.03595 U.S. dollars

18. Inside the Louvre

19. The Louvre has seven rich and varied sections of art, Oriental Antiquities, Egyptian Antiquities, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities, Paintings, Sculpture, Objets d'Art and Graphic Arts. I will show you a few outstanding pieces of art from some of the collections.

20. Print and Drawings ORIENTALARTORIENTALART

21. Egyptian Antiquities

22. Pendant with the Name of King Osorkon II: the God Osiris's Family This extremely precious solid gold and lapis lazuli item of jewelry - a true masterpiece of antique goldwork - represents the holy triad of the Osiris family. Despite the presence of the god of death, this piece was more a temple treasure than a funerary jewel. (www.louvre.fr)

23. Islamic Art

24. Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities

25. “Law Code of Hammurabi, king of Babylon The Law Code of Hammurabi is the emblem of the Mesopotamian civilization. This high basalt stele erected by the king of Babylon in the 18th century BC is a work of art, history and literature, and the most complete legal compendium of Antiquity, dating back to earlier than the Biblical laws. Carried there by a prince from the neighboring country of Elam in Iran in the 12th century BC, the monument was exhibited on the Susa acropolis among other prestigious Mesopotamian masterpieces.” (quote and photo from: www.Louvre.fr)

26. I found this picture on one of my many Google image searches. I was quite impressed with the detail and beauty of this Greek sculpture of Aphrodite.

27. The Louvre has many large galleries filled with famous paintings.

28. The Louvre is home to the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. To quote Treasures of the Louvre, “Undoubtedly the jewel in the crown of the Louvre's collection, the Mona Lisa must be one of the most familiar paintings in the world.... This picture is a portrait of Mona or Monna (short for Madonna) Lisa, who was born in Florence in 1479 and in 1495 married the Marquis del Giacondo, a Florentine of some standing, hence the paintings other name 'La Giaconda'. This identification though is still subject to question.” (page 95)

29. This is a detail of Mona Lisa’s face taken off of the Louvre’s official web site. And Louvre states, “Virtually everything has been said about the enigmatic smile, the marvelous modeling of the face, the shading off of the color values so that the light seems to glide over the forms, the misty dreamlike atmosphere of the background landscape.”

30. The Louvre has many sculptures. This is one of their many galleries.

31. “Winged Victory of Samothrace The winged goddess of Victory standing on the prow of a ship overlooked the Sanctuary of the Great Gods on the island of Samothrace. This monument was probably an ex-voto offered by the people of Rhodes in commemoration of a naval victory in the early second century BC. The theatrical stance, vigorous movement, and billowing drapery of this Hellenistic sculpture are combined with references to the Classical period- prefiguring the baroque aestheticism of the Pergamene sculptors.” (Picture and Quote from: www.louvre.fr)

32. Which is according to Wikipedia: An art object which is any object—such as a painting, sculpture, book, etc.—that has been made in order to be a thing of beauty in itself or a symbolic statement of meaning, rather than having a practical function. Objets d'Art.

33. The Louvre is an amazing building, with many stories to tell, and many secrets hiding in its vast corridors.

34. The Louvre is one of the most famous museums in the world... was one of the first public art museums in history... is one of the largest art museums in the world... is one of the most visited museums in the world... is home to some of the richest and most varied collections in the world.

35. Works Cited Quoniam, Pierre. Louvre. Paris: 1989. Costantino, Maria. Treasures of the Louvre. New York: Mallard Press, 1992. Encyclopedia Britannica. 15th Edition. Micropaedia. Book 7. Chicago: 1994. http://www.louvre.or.jp/louvre/presse/en/activites/archives/anniv.htm (press release, from the louvre) www.answers.com/topic/louvre www.aviewoncities.com www.phototravels.net/paris http://print.google.com http://en.wikipedia.org www.louvre.fr www.insecula.com www.google.com (searches)