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Leonardo da Vinci

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24 October 2019 – 24 February 2020

• Exhibition Overview

Presentation by the exhibition curators

Exhibition catalogue, selected works, en lien avec l'exposition, boutique en ligne.

#ExpoLéonard

The Leonardo da Vinci exhibition is held under the high patronage of French President Emmanuel Macron

The year 2019 marks the 500-year anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci in France, of particular importance for the Louvre, which holds the largest collection in the world of da Vinci’s paintings, as well as 22 drawings.

The museum is seizing the opportunity in this year of commemorations to gather as many of the artist’s paintings as possible around the five core works in its collections: The Virgin of the Rocks , La Belle Ferronnière , the Mona Lisa (which will remain in the gallery where it is normally displayed), the Saint John the Baptist , and the Saint Anne . The objective is to place them alongside a wide array of drawings as well as a small but significant series of paintings and sculptures from the master’s circle.

This unprecedented retrospective of da Vinci’s painting career will illustrate how he placed utmost importance on painting, and how his  investigation of the world, which he referred to as “the science of painting,” was the instrument of his art, seeking nothing less than to bring life to his paintings.

The exhibition is the culmination of more than ten years of work, notably including new scientific examinations of the Louvre’s paintings, and the conservation treatment of three of them, allowing for better understanding of da Vinci’s artistic practice and pictorial technique. Clarification of  his biography has also emerged through the exhaustive reexamination of archival documents. The exhibition will paint the portrait of a man and an artist of extraordinary freedom.

Organised by:

Vincent Delieuvin, Department of Paintings, and Louis Frank, Department of Prints and Drawings, Musée du Louvre.

Exhibition booklet

Dossier pédagogique.

Quand la peinture raconte Léonard

Épisode 1 : La Nature (La Vierge aux rochers)

Épisode 2 : le mouvement (la belle ferronnière), épisode 3 : l’inachevé (la « sainte anne »), épisode 4 : l’idéal (le saint jean baptiste), épisode 5 : le mythe (la joconde), remerciements, cycle de conférences (en replay).

• Du corps de l'homme au corps de la terre : Léonard de Vinci entre art et science (version française) Conférence par Domenico Laurenza, Trinity College, Dublin (Auditorium du Louvre, 31/10/019)
• Léonard dans la littérature à la Renaissance Conférence par Enrico Mattioda, Università degli Studi, Turin (Auditorium du Louvre, 14/11/2019)
• Léonard, l'écriture en mouvement Conférence par Carlo Vecce, Università degli Studi, Macerata (Auditorium du Louvre, 21/11/2019)
• Léonard de Vinci et ses œuvres inachevées : infinités, transformations et quantités continues Conférence par Carmen C. Bambach, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Auditorium du Louvre, 06/01/ 2020)

Publications

• Catalogue de l’exposition , sous la direction de Vincent Delieuvin et de Louis Frank. Coédition musée du Louvre éditions / Hazan. 480 pages, 380 illustrations environ.
• Les vies de Léonard par Vasari , par Louis Frank. Coédition musée du Louvre éditions / Hazan.
• Léonard2Vinci , par Stéphane Levallois. Coédition musée du Louvre éditions / Futuropolis. 96 pages (Bande-dessinée).
• Collection « Solo » La Joconde , par Cécile Scailliérez. Coédition musée du Louvre éditions / El Viso, 106 pages, 62 illustrations.
• Le Casting de Léonard , par Nathalie Vessié-Hodges. Coédition musée du Louvre éditions / Atelier du Poisson soluble, 56 pages, disponible également en anglais.
• Le Génie de Léonard : son œuvre, son histoire, son époque , par Patrick Jusseaux. Coédition musée du Louvre éditions Gallimard Jeunesse, 128 pages.
• Léonard de Vinci, maître de la Renaissance , par Gennaro Toscano. Coédition musée du Louvre éditions Hazan, 50 pages.

Documentaires

Léonard de vinci, la manière moderne.

Peintre de l'œuvre la plus célèbre du monde et artiste exerçant une fascination hors norme, Léonard de Vinci a pourtant laissé moins de vingt tableaux, dont certains inachevés. Aujourd'hui, les progrès scientifiques et les recherches historiques les plus récentes nous permettent de mieux comprendre l'élaboration de ses peintures, de leur conception à l'acte de peindre lui-même. À travers dessins et carnets, comparaison de tableaux et analyses, ce film nous révèle l'incomparable science de la peinture de Léonard, tout en en restituant le sens et l'émotion.

Acheter le coffret en DVD

Léonard de Vinci, le chef-d'œuvre redécouvert

La Vierge au fuseau serait-elle l'une des rares œuvres authentiques de Léonard de Vinci ? À Paris, à l'occasion de sa restauration, le tableau révèle sa couche picturale d'origine, ce qui permet de nouvelles comparaisons avec la technique et le style du grand artiste de la Renaissance...

Léonard de Vinci, la restauration du siècle

La Sainte Anne est un des plus beaux tableaux du monde, un des plus mystérieux. Mais c'était aussi un tableau malade, défiguré, voire menacé, par les « réparations », et les couches de vernis successives déposées au fil des siècles. Pour le sauver une restauration s'imposait. Cette restauration complexe et exceptionnelle a été l'occasion unique d'être au plus près du tableau tel qu'il a été peint à l'origine, et de mieux comprendre  la relation complexe que Léonard de Vinci entretenait avec un de ses plus grands chefs-d'œuvre.

Acheter le DVD

Présentation de l'exposition : Léonard de Vinci

Video 56 min

(1/4) Du corps de l'homme au corps de la terre : Léonard de Vinci entre art et science

Video 1 h 11 min

(2/4) Léonard dans la littérature italienne de la Renaissance

Video 57 min

(3/4) Léonard, l’écriture en mouvement

Video 45 min

(4/4) Léonard de Vinci et ses œuvres inachevées : infinités, transformations et quantités continues

Video 59 min

480 pages / 380 illustrations Co-publishing Hazan / Louvre éditions

Buy the catalogue  

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, dit Léonard de Vinci, Draperie Saint-Morys.

Leonardo da Vinci, Portrait of a Lady from the Court of Milan, known as La Belle Ferronnière

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, dit Léonard de Vinci, Étude pour la Sainte Anne : le manteau de la Vierge

Leonardo da Vinci, The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, dit Léonard de Vinci, Étude de Vierge à l’Enfant, dite Madone aux fruits

Léonard de Vinci, Études de personnages pour l’Adoration des Mages (verso)

Leonardo da Vinci, Saint John the Baptist

Leonardo da Vinci, Portrait of Isabella d'Este

"Mona Lisa Beyond the Glass": the Louvre's first Virtual Reality experience

As part of the landmark exhibition Leonardo da Vinci (24 October 2019 - 24 February 2020), the Louvre will present the museum’s first virtual reality (VR) experience, in partnership with HTC VIVE Arts, which will bring to life the story of the  Mona Lisa , da Vinci’s most famous masterpiece.

23 October 2019

A Night at the Louvre: a private guided tour of the landmark exhibition, only un theatres !

To prolong the 'Leonardo da Vinci" experience, The Louvre Museum and Pathé Live have partnered to release an exclusive filmed private tour of the landmark exhibition “ A Night at the Louvre: Leonardo da Vinci ”. Special screenings wil be organized from 16 September worldwide.

29 June 2020

Discover our selection around the exhibition

See the products  

How To Virtually Tour of Paris’ Louvre & See Every Masterpiece

If you’re an art enthusiast, the Louvre is probably at the top of your Paris or museum wish list.

As the world’s largest and most visited museum, it boasts an impressive collection of 35,000 artworks, ranging from the 6th century BC to the 19th century AD, all housed within a magnificent Renaissance palace.

However, as you might imagine, visiting the Louvre can be quite the experience.

It’s often packed with crowds, flashing cameras, selfie sticks, and people bustling around or trying to touch the art. This can make it feel a bit chaotic and overwhelming.

But there’s good news! You can now explore the Louvre from the comfort of your home, avoiding the hustle and bustle.

I’ll guide you through how to virtually visit this iconic museum and view all its must-see masterpieces. Get ready to enjoy your personal Leonardo or Michelangelo experience in peaceful solitude.

Layout of the Louvre

The Louvre is a U shape, divided into three wings: Denon, Sully, and Richelieu. Each of the wings has four floors.

The Denon Wing is home to the Louvre’s best known art work, including the world’s most famous painting, the Mona Lisa .

The Sully Wing is known for its statuary and antiquities.

The Richelieu Wing houses the lavish apartments of Napoleon III and some famed Dutch art works.

Virtual Tour of Louvre Masterpieces

Let’s take an online virtual tour of the Louvre, wing by wing.

You can see all the must see masterpieces via 360 video tours, YouTube videos, or online tours on the Louvre Website itself. For a lengthy overall YouTube tour of the Louvre, click here .

The Denon Wing

The Denon Wing is the most visited part of the Louvre. It boasts the fabulously ornate Apollo Gallery, with high arches and frescoed ceilings.

It’s a shrine to Sun King Louis XIV. The paintings were begun by Charles Le Brun and completed by Eugene Delacroix.

1. French Paintings in the Denon Wing

The Denon Wing is most renowned for its iconic French paintings from the Neoclassical and Romantic periods of art history. The must see French masterpieces include:

• Eugene Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People
• Jacques-Louis David, The Coronation of Napoleon
• Theodore Gericault, Raft of the Medusa
• Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Grand Odalisque

You can take a virtual tour of the recently restored Apollo Gallery on the Louvre’s website here . You can learn about the Coronation of Napoleon from this Louvre YouTuber .

You can take a virtual video tour of the world’s most famous French painting, Liberty Leading the People here . And learn about the Grand Odalisque here .

Via my blog, you can also explore the Louvre’s underrated masterpieces in the Denon Wing.

I also have a guide to what I think is the best painting in the Louvre , Gericault’s Raft of the Medusa , a then-scandalous painting based on a true story.

2. Italian Paintings in the Denon Wing

The Denon Wing also boasts treasures from the Italian Renaissance.

This is where you’ll find works by Sandro Botticelli , Leonardo da Vinci , Raphael , and Titian. The must see masterpieces include:

• Leonardo Da Vinci, Mona Lisa
• Leonardo Da Vinci, The Virgin and Child With St. Anne
• Titian, Pastoral Concert
• Raphael, Portrait of Baldasarre Castiglione
• Paolo Veronese, The Wedding Feast at Cana

You can take a virtual 360 tour of the Grand Gallery, which houses much of the Louvre’s Italian art.

If you’re a Mona Lisa fan, the Louvre is offering the museum’s first virtual reality experience , which brings to life the story of the enigmatic portrait. You can also take a virtual tour of the Mona Lisa here , with Smarthistory, an artsy YouTube channel.

In the Louvre’s busiest room, the Mona Lisa stares across at Veronese’s massive Wedding Feast at Cana . You can take a virtual tour and get the full scoop on the Louvre’s largest painting here .

You can virtually tour Raphael’s paintings, including Baldasarre , on Google Arts & Culture . Learn about Titian’s Pastoral Concert , which inspired Edouard Monet’s groundbreaking painting Luncheon on the Grass , here .

READ : 3 Day Impressionism Tour of Paris

3. Sculptures in the Denon Wing

If you prefer sculpture to painting, the Denon Wing has one of the world’s most magnificent sculptures — the Winged Victory of Samothrac e.

It also has a room on the ground dedicated to Italian sculpture, the Michelangelo Gallery. It’s one of my favorites spots in the Louvre.

It’s home to Michelangelo’s Dying Slave and Rebellious Slave , from 1513-15. These sculptures seem to struggle to escape the marble.

They were originally intended for the Tomb of Pope Julius II in Rome. But Michelangelo got distracted with the ceiling of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel and could never finish the tomb.

READ : Masterpieces of the Vatican

You can also find Antonio Canova’s incredibly romantic Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss . It’s considered Canova’s master work.

You can take a virtual tour of Michelangelo’s Slaves here , a virtual tour of Canova’s work on Google Arts & Culture , and a virtual tour of Canova’s Psyche here . You can take a virtual 360 tour of the Winged Victory here .

2. The Sully Wing

In the Sully Wing, you’ll find some of the world’s most beautiful sculptures, antiquities, and the remains of the Medieval Louvre.

One of the Louvre’s greatest ladies, a Hellenistic masterpiece, is here — the Venus de Milo . Even without arms, Venus de Milo is considered the classical epitome of female beauty.

You can also see another masterwork, Sleeping Hermaphrodite , a mythological merger of a male and female body. The ancient sculpture was discovered in Rome near the Baths of Diocletian.

Cardinal Scipione Borghese commissioned the Italian sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini to carve the mattress in 1619. He later sold the piece to the French when he was strapped for cash.

READ : The Bernini Trail in Rome

The Egyptian Antiquities are a well loved highlight of the Sully Wing. The collection features the 12 ton Great Sphinx of Tanis, model ships, ancient sculptures, a massive statue of Ramses II, and a sarcophagus room.

The medieval Louvre is also a fascinating place. Originally, the Louvre was a 12th century fortress built by King Philippe Auguste.

The lower levels are all that remain. Archeologists discovered and excavated the underground medieval remains during the construction of I.M. Pei’s pyramid in 1983-85.

You can take a virtual tour of all the Louvre’s Roman Antiquities here , the Venus de Milo here , and the Sleeping Hermaphrodite here . You can take a virtual tour of the famed Egyptian Antiquities here and walk around the Medieval Louvre here .

3. The Richelieu Wing

In Richelieu Wing, you can admire the Louvre’s Mesopotamian Antiquities, Napoleon III’s Second Empire rooms, sculptures, and some amazing Dutch masterpieces.

The Richelieu Wing boasts the spectacular Cour Marly, a spacious glass roofed courtyard.

It’s stuffed with 17th and 18th marble and white stone sculptures, many commissioned by Sun King Louis XIV and Louis XV. There’s also a magnificent Fountain of Diana, dating from 1550.

Perhaps the most famous part of the Richelieu Wing is the Napoleon III apartments. They were built between 1852-57 to accommodate visiting dignitaries. They’re sumptuous.

Crystal chandeliers glitter, gilded furniture gleams, and the ceilings sport beautiful frescos — all set amid red velvet and red drapery. The Rococo state dining room could seat almost 100 people.

You can virtually tour the Cour Puget here and the Cour Marly here . You can take a virtual tour of Napoleon’s Apartments here .

The Richelieu Wing is also home to some unmissable Dutch old master paintings, including:

• Johannes Vermeer, The Lacemaker
• Johannes Vermeer, The Astronomer
• Rembrandt, Bathsheba at Her Bath.
• Hieronymous Bosch, Ship of Fools
• Georges de la Tour, The Cheat with the Ace of Diamonds

From the Louvre’s website, you can see and get an education on The Lacemaker here , Bathsheba here , Ship of Fools here , and The Cheat here .

If you’re a Beyonce fan, her recent music video featured pieces from the Louvre. Now, you can follow the Beyonce Louvre Trail on the Louvre website.

The Louvre is also featuring an Artwork of the Day . If you’re interested in the history of the Louvre, here’s my guide .

Tickets For The Louvre

Naturally, if you decide to visit the Louvre in person, it’s essential to p re-book a skip the line ticket . If you take your art seriously, you may want to  book a guided tour .

I hope you’ve enjoyed my guide to taking a virtual tour of the Louvre. You may enjoy these other Paris travel guides:

• 3 day itinerary for Paris
• 3 day art weekend in Paris
• 5 day itinerary for Paris
• Hidden gems in Paris
• Guide to the Latin Quarter
• Guide to Montmartre
• Best museums in Paris
• Monet guide to Paris
• Louvre survival Tips
• Tourist traps to skip in Paris
• Guide to the Musee d’Orsay

If you’d like to take a virtual tour of the Louvre from home, pin it or later.

1 thought on “How To Virtually Tour of Paris’ Louvre & See Every Masterpiece”

Good day. I was wondering if you would recommend the Louvre at night . Is there a significant difference in terms of avoiding crowds, the lighting for pics and access to different wings?

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Last Updated on January 20, 2024 by Leslie Livingston

Louvre: Opens for Virtual Visits

Article: By Kristian Jaime   |    TheArtistsChateau.com

PARIS —  Despite prolonged closure due to COVID-19 restrictions across Europe, the famed  Musée du Louvre  and  Musée National Eugène Delacroix  will release 482,000 works on a museum database for virtual tours by the public.

The announcement by Jean-Luc Martinez, president-director of the  Musée du Louvre,  on March 26 of the new online platform and  redesigned website  was the first of its kind in the museum’s history.

Located at  collections.louvre.fr , the database includes an interactive menu of the various pieces in the museum’s permanent and long-term loan collections.

“The Louvre is dusting off its treasures, even the least-known. For the first time, anyone can access the entire collection of works from a computer or smart phone for free, whether they are on display in the museum, on loan, even long-term, or in storage,” Martinez said.

According to the official press release, “the site offers several ways to delve into the collections: simple or advanced searches, entries by curatorial department, and themed albums. An interactive map helps visitors prepare or extend their visit.”

The new database also allows patrons to explore the museum room by room and is updated regularly by museum experts. It will also grow and evolve with updated research.

Efforts by the museum to establish such a record of its extensive works started in October 2019 with the opening of a new conservation center in Liévin, France to house works that were previously held in storage spaces at risk of potential flooding of the Seine River.

Prior to the move, each curatorial department carried out “an extensive campaign to inventory and photograph a very large number of works.”

The online compendium of masterpieces is expected to draw art connoisseurs and students from across the globe as the official museum website already drew an estimated 21 million visitors in 2020 alone.

“The Louvre’s stunning cultural heritage is all now just a click away! I am sure that this digital content is going to further inspire people to come to the Louvre to discover the collections in person,” Martinez continued.

While the number of available works on the database is already expansive, it covers only about 75 percent of every available piece at the museum. The new platform replaces the Atlas database, which was limited by only including items on display.

“Each entry consists of scientific data about the given work of art: title; artist; inventory number; dimensions; materials and techniques; date and place of production; object history; current location and bibliography. The wealth of images in the database is an indispensable resource for researchers and visitors alike,” the statement goes on to say.

The official museum website is not without its own improvements as designers took aim at making it more current and responsive to allow planning one’s visit that much easier. For now, the site is available in French, English, Spanish and Chinese; and was made possible from support by the Art Explora Foundation.

Overtures by the museum to move to a digital record of its pieces also coincide with increased outreach on social media. That includes an estimated 4.5 million followers on Instagram, 2.6 million on Facebook and 1.5 million on Twitter.

El Louvre abre con visitas virtuales

Artículo: Por Kristian Jaime   |   TheArtistsChateau.com

A pesar de un cierre prolongado a causa del COVID 19 y restricciones en toda Europa, el famoso Museo de Louvre y el Museo Nacional Eugene Delacroix lanzaron 482,000 obras en la base de Datos del Museo con visitas virtuales para el publico.

El anuncio hecho por Jean-Luc Martinez, presidente-director del Museo de Louvre, el 26 de Marzo, de la nueva plataforma en linea, y redisenar la pagina de internet fue el primero de su tipo en la historia del museo.

Localizado en  Collections.Louvre.fr  la base de datos incluye un menu interactivo de las varias piezas de las colecciones de prestamos permanentes y de largo plazo del museo.

"El Louvre esta limpiando sus tesoros, aun los menos conocidos. Por primera vez cualquiera tiene acceso a la colección de obras desde una computadora o un telefono inteligente gratis, ya sea que esten expuestas en el museo en prestamo a largo plazo o en almacenamiento," comento Martinez.

De acuerdo a la rueda de prensa oficial, "el sitio ofrece varias maneras de ahondar en la busqueda de colecciones simples o avanzadas. Entradas por el Departamento Cultural y Albumes tematicos un mapa interactivo ayuda a los visitantes, o extiende su visita."

La nueva base de datos tambien le permite a los visitantes explorar el museo cuarto por cuarto. Y se actualiza regularmente por expertos del museo, tambien crecera y evolucionara con investigacion actualizada.

Esfuerzos por el museo para establecer tal record de sus extensas obras empezo en Octubre 2019 con la apertura de un centro nuevo de concervación en Lievin, Francia, donde albergar obras de arte que anteriormente se guardaban en espacios con un alto potencial de inundaciones del Rio Seine.

Antes de esta mudanza cada Departamento Curativo llevo a cabo una “extensa campana para inventoriar y fotografiar una gran cantidad de obras."

El compendio en linea de obras maestras espera atraer conocedores del arte y estudiantes de todo el mundo como la pagina de internet oficial que ya atrajo un estimado de 21 millones de visitantes solamente en el 2020.

"El impresionante patrimonio cultural de el Louvre esta a solo un clic de distancia! Estoy seguro que este contenido digital va a inspirar a mas gente a venir al Louvre a descubrir las colecciones personalmente," continuo Martinez

Mientras que el numero de obras disponibles ya es expansivo en la base de datos, solo cubre el 75 porciento de todas las obras disponibles en el museo.  La nueva plataforma reemplaza la base de datos Atlas que se limitaba a incluir solo elementos en exhibición.

Cada entrada consiste en datos cientificos sobre la obra de arte expuesta:  título; artista; numero de inventario; dimensión material y técnica; fecha y lugar de producción; historia del objeto, ubicación actual y bibliografia.

“La  gran cantidad de imágines en la base de datos es un recurso indispensable para investigadores y visitantes por igual," la declaracion continua diciendo.

La pagina de internet oficial no esta sin sus propios mejoramientos pues los diseñadores se enfocaron en actualizarlo y hacerlo mas receptivo para permitir una visita con mas facilidad. Por lo pronto el sitio esta disponible en Francia, Inglaterra, España y China y fue posible con el apoyo de la Fundación de Explora de Arte. Las propuestas del museo para pasar a un registro digital también coinciden con un mayor alcance de las redes sociales. Eso incluye un estimado de 4.5 millones de seguidores en Instagram, 2.6 millones en Facebook y 1.5 millones en Twitter.

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You Can Now Explore the Louvre’s Entire Collection Online

A new digital database features 480,000 works from the Paris museum’s holdings

Nora McGreevy

Correspondent

When cultural institutions around the world were forced to shutter last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic , even the most popular art museum in the world felt the effects. The Louvre , home to such masterpieces as the Mona Lisa , welcomed just 2.7 million visitors in 2020—a 72 percent drop from 2019, when 9.6 million people flocked to the Paris museum.

But even as physical museums remained closed, art enthusiasts continued to seek inspiration in new ways : In that same pandemic year, 21 million people visited the Louvre’s website, according to a statement .

Thanks to a major website redesign and a new online collection database, browsing the historic museum’s holdings from home is easier than ever, reports Alaa Elassar for CNN . For the first time ever, the Louvre’s entire art collection is available to search online. The updated catalogue boasts more than 480,000 entries, from rare items stowed away in storage to the iconic Venus de Milo and Winged Victory of Samothrace . (Though the digital database is free to browse, offerings are not open access , meaning users cannot directly download, share or reuse the images.)

“Today, the Louvre is dusting off its treasures, even the least-known,” says the museum’s president, Jean-Luc Martinez, in the statement. “… [A]nyone can access the entire collection of works from a computer or smartphone for free, whether they are on display in the museum, on loan, even long-term, or in storage.”

Martinez adds, “The Louvre’s stunning cultural heritage is all now just a click away.”

Viewers can also click through an interactive map of the museum, virtually walking through the cavernous halls of the Renaissance castle or the sleek steel-and-glass pyramid designed by American architect I.M. Pei in 1989.

Previously, the public only had access to about 30,000 listings of works in the Louvre’s collections, reports Vincent Noce for the Art Newspaper . Per France24 , more than three-quarters of the entries in the Louvre’s online collection contain images and label information. The museum plans to continue to expand and improve the database in the coming months.

The archive also includes the collections of the Musée National Eugène-Delacroix , which is run by the Louvre, and the nearby Tuileries Garden , as well as a number of Nazi-looted artworks that are in the process of being returned to their original owners’ families.

According to the new online catalogue , about 61,000 works stolen by the Nazis were retrieved from Germany and brought back to France after World War II. Of these works, 45,000 have been returned to their rightful owners. A number of others were sold by the French state. The remaining 2,143 unclaimed works were categorized as National Museum Recovery (MNR) and entrusted to French cultural institutions, including the Louvre, for safekeeping.

Despite the Louvre’s involvement in repatriation efforts, lingering concerns remain that Nazi-looted art may have made its way into the Louvre’s permanent collections during the war. Since hiring curator Emmanuelle Polack to lead a wartime provenance research project in January 2020, the Louvre has checked nearly two-thirds of the 13,943 works it acquired between 1933 and 1945, Martinez tells the Art Newspaper .

In the future, the museum plans to debut the findings of this research project on its website. The director notes that he has instructed curators to conduct a similar investigation of the thousands of artworks in the Louvre’s collections that hail from countries formerly under French control, such as Algeria, Tunisia, Syria and Lebanon.

The goal of this long-term project, he says, will be to identify which items in the Louvre’s encyclopedic collections were obtained through looting or colonial violence.

“Our collections are mostly archaeological and come from digs shared with the countries of origin,” Martinez tells the Art Newspaper , adding that the museum often obtained new archives through “bilateral” legal agreements.

At the same time, Martinez adds, “[M]useums like the Louvre served imperial ambitions and we have to deal with this history.”

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Nora McGreevy | | READ MORE

Nora McGreevy is a former daily correspondent for Smithsonian . She is also a freelance journalist based in Chicago whose work has appeared in Wired , Washingtonian , the Boston Globe , South Bend Tribune , the New York Times and more.