who loves the louvre

louvreHistorically, Paris is a place that has been associated with the creation of art. Parisian art is often most closely identified with the modern movements of cubism, fauvism, and impressionism, and with the art of Degas, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, Monet, Picasso, and Matisse. Though the French contemporary art scene is less powerful than it has been in times past, Paris continues to be a city where art is a strong presence, evidenced by the multitude of museums and galleries, and by the seemingly endless rotation of shows, exhibitions, and festivals. The strongest icon of Parisian art, however, is not truly a piece of art at all, but a building; it is the Louvre, where centuries of French, Italian, Dutch, and Ancient art are hung on its labyrinthine walls.
Constructed in the 12th century as a fortress, the Louvre’s function evolved over the years, acting as the Royal palace until the 17th century. At that time, Louis XIV vacated the Louvre for Versailles, and converting it into an exhibition space for the royal collections. The Louvre’s history is a political one, and for many years it was under control by the Academie Francaise, and used as a tool for manipulating the public and dominating the art world.
Though the Louvre has housed more modern art, currently the majority of work it displays date from the period of its supremacy as an institution, during the 16th and 17th centuries. They also offer a world-class collection of ancient art produced in Greece, Rome, Egypt, and the Middle East. Perhaps the most modern thing about the Louvre is the glass pyramid, designed by architect I. M. Pei in the late 1980’s, that stands in the central courtyard, and which is offset by the immense stone walls that surround it on three sides.
The Louvre is a very familiar place to me; I go there every week for an art history course. Because the art it displays doesn’t align especially with my tastes or interests, I have come to appreciate the Louvre in an entirely different light. For me, the building acts as a gigantic installation piece, much like something created by Christo, whose value is understood best in the experiential and three-dimensional lens, and whose medium is made up—in part—by the people within it. One of my favorite things to do at the Louvre is to find a quiet, second-story window and watch the people below me. They transverse the courtyard, criss-crossing, meeting, and milling about the glass pyramid and fountain that occupy its center. From my vantage point, these interactions acquire a lyrical, abstract quality, and they reflect the themes of chance, space, time, and time's passage.