Louvre - The Visit [antikvár]

Preface In memory of Pierre Ouoniam "Quoniam's!" All the curators of the Louvre, whether young or not-so-young, know how useful this museum guide is; updated at each new edition, it gets bigger and better all the time. It is named after the former director of the museum, who devoted so much time and energy to it - Pierre Quoniam. The guide offers a clear cogent presentation of the collections in the seven departments of the Louvre museum. The three departments of antiquities show how the great civilisations of the Middle East, Egypt and the Mediterranean emerged and evolved, from the third millenium B.C. until the first centuries of the Christian era. The four "modern" departments trace the development of European art from the Early Middle Ages to the 19th century, presenting sculpture, decorative arts, painting and graphic arts. Is the Louvre's version of the history of art complete, and if so, is it entirely impartial? Of course not. To begin with, some aspects of the subject are treated in other national museums. Late 19th- and 20th-century art is found at the Musée d'Orsay and at the Musée National d'Art Moderne, while Eastern and Far Eastern art belong to the Musée des Arts Asiatiques-Guimet, and African and Pacific art fall within the domain of the Musée National des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie. It would be pointless to try and draw up a list of the world's top museums: what each one has to offer is inextricably linked to the circumstances in which its collections were assembled and the vicissitudes of its history. The Louvre's particular good fortune is that it may exhibit both a royal gallery inherited from France's ancien régime (like the great museums of Florence, Madrid and Vienna) and collections gradually acquired in the 19th and 20th centuries (like those of Berlin, London and New York) through a consistent purchasing policy and, of course, generous private donations. One of the priceless amenities distinguishing the Louvre from its rivals is the backdrop it provides to its collections. There was always the palatial architecture, which spans three hundred years from the 16th to the 19th century, and its extraordinary site in the heart of the city. But the "Grand Louvre" project has widened the museum's perspective even further, with a view to both the past and the present. The excavation of the CoinCarrée (Square Courtyard) brought to light the monumental moat belonging to the original château of Philippe Auguste and Charles V, which epitomized the power of the monarchy; while the Napoleon Hall and courtyard fronted by I.M. Pei's pyramid, followed by the conversion of the former Ministry of Finance into museum space, has secured a place for the Louvre in the history of contempora ry architectu re. what has already been achieved and to take stock of what remains to be done (and we would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may cause). What we are trying to do is to make their visits easier and more enjoyable. So may this sense of delectation so dear to Poussin be their guide! Pierre Rosenberg of the French Academy Président and Director of the Louvre Museum Can we say that the Louvre's vast renovation programme has now been completed, with the opening of the Richelieu Wing and, more recently, of the revamped rooms housing the three archaeological departments, Paintings, Decorative Arts and Graphic Arts? Since the task seems inexhaustible, the answer to that question can only be no. We invite visitors to judge Hubert RobER* Project for alterations to the Great Gallery of the Louvre in 1796 (central area)