Large Louvre

The “ Grand Louvre ” is the name given to one of the projects belonging to the “Great Work” defined by the president of the Republic François Mitterrand, as well as the news National library of France, the Opéra Bastille or large the Arche of Defense.

It acts, indeed, of the realization of an old project which consists in returning the totality of the palate to its function of Musée, while modernizing and improving the presentation of its collections.

Origin of the project

From the beginning of its first mandate, François Mitterrand requests his young minister culture, Jack Lang to propose to him ideas of project of great work. Jack Lang then suggests with the President of the Republic giving again with the museum of Louvre the Richelieu wing which shelters the Ministry for Finances (which will be rehoused in a new building with Bercy). François Mitterrand, in agreement with Anne Pingeot, validates the project which will become one of great passions of its first mandate. This decision is accompanied by a reorganization of the collections and an architectural transformation of the buildings. The " project; Large Louvre" is entrusted to Emile Biasini which selects the Architecte sino - American Ieoh Ming Pei (for the first section) to direct work which extends from 1981 with 1999.

The pyramid

The polemical aspect of the project is the construction of a pyramid of glass in the center of the Napoleon court. Skeptic, the mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac, proposes to tighten cables so that one can realize of what the pyramid will become; it is used now as entry with the museum and makes it possible to light an immense underground hall giving access to all the parts of the museum.

November 2nd, 1983, the Public corporation of Large Louvre (E.P.G.L.) was created, with for mission “of conceiving and of leading the installation of the Field of Louvre and Tileries in order to make of it an original cultural whole with character museologic, which will be called Grand Louvre, like allowing the insertion of this whole in its environment”. Ten years after, the museum of the Louvre increased of almost 30.000 m ², opens with the public the Richelieu wing, giving to the project of I.M. Pei all its dimension and its logic. The Pyramid of Louvre, in the center of gravity of the collections, assumes its role of principal reception and distribution of the circuits also distributed on the three wings of the palate of Louvre: Richelieu, Sully, Denon.

The cultural activity of the museum, if strong, if gravitational, urbanizes under the impulse of this multitude of visitors who hasten for the contemplation of the universal masterpieces and find in his immediate environment the services which enable them to be restored quickly, to buy gifts and to better benefit from time thus saved to devote it to the visit of the museums.

Installed on a field of more than 40 hectares in full heart of Paris, on Right Bank of the the Seine, this work, which makes it possible to release 60 000 m ² for the permanent collections, make of it the third larger museum of the world, after the Metropolitan Museum off Art of New York and the Musée of the Hermitage to Saint-Pétersbourg.

Large Louvre and kings de France

The Republic did not want to be in remainder with the kings of France who, stage by stage, worked for the major extension of the palate of Louvre. The " large dessein" was transmitted of century in century to lead today to the most beautiful museum of the world, opened on the City of Light.

External bond

on the site of the INA: 1988 President François Mitterrand and the Peï architect inaugurate the Napoleon Court.

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