Louvre Museum :
The beautiful and magnificent Louvre Museum is one of the largest art galleries in the world and is close to the Little Palace Hotel. Architecturally, the majesty of the historic palace contrasts strikingly with the modern 21 metre high glass pyramid that now forms the main entrance. Amongst the 30,000 paintings and countless other works of art on display, the most famous inhabitants of the Louvre are Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa (La Joconde in French, La Gioconda in Italian), as well as the Venus de Milo. The Louvre also contains excellent examples of the work of Michaelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Titian and Vermeer.
With such a vast area, it is a pretty daunting prospect working out which parts of the museum to visit. Perhaps your best bet is to plan in advance to see particular famous works and then just visit one or two other sections covering a particular period or style of interest. The Louvre is divided into sections including Oriental Antiquities and Islamic Art, Egyptian Antiquities, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities, Sculptures, Objets d'Art, Paintings, Prints and Drawings.
Famous works
The Mona Lisa
Painted by the Italian master, Leonardo da Vinci, the Mona Lisa is without doubt the most famous painting in the world. It was created during the early 16th century, painted in oil on poplar wood. The most famous aspect of the painting is her enigmatic smile. The identity of the figure depicted in the painting has long been a matter for debate and has yet to be resolved. However, it seems as important to appreciate the supreme quality of the craftsmanship demonstrated here as to wonder about the story behind the woman with that famous smile.
The Venus de Milo
The half-naked figure of the Venus de Milo, lacking arms and draped in cloth at the hips, is the most famous sculpture in the collection at the Louvre. Sculpted around 100BC, the Venus de Milo probably represents either Aphrodite, goddess of love, or Amphitrite, goddess of the sea. Dating from the late Hellenistic period, the sculpture is unusual for having been sculpted in several distinct pieces before being put together.
The closest metro station is Palais Royal.
The Louvre Museum stretches 700 meters on the right bank of the Seine . In 1200, Philippe August built the Louvre fortress on the north bank of the Seine . A keep surrounded by a moat, the symbol of royal power, stood at the center. The foundations of the keep and the moat still exist and belong to the medieval part of the museum. Rebuilt in the mid-16th century for use as a royal palace , the Louvre became as the residence of the King. In 1527, François I announced is intention to take up residence in the Louvre. He was the first eminent patron of Renaissance Italian masters. Twelve paintings from his original collection, including the Vinci's Mona Lisa, Raphaël's Belle Jardinière and Titian's Portrait of François I are among the most important masterpieces of the museum. Buildings were added and remodeled to remain a royal residence until Louis XIV in 1682 when the King relocated the Court to Versailles .
The palace was neglected for nearly 100 years. Louis XV , in order to transform the monument in a royal collection, began to restore the palace. The Louvre began its career as a royal museum accessible to the public on 10 August 1793, when the doors of the Grande Galerie were opened to the visitors.
Napoleon built the north wing of the palace. He used the edifice for storage and display the spoils of empire. Many of the works of art exacted as a tribute from countries he conquered were reclaimed in 1815. He commissioned the Carrousel Triomphal Arch . Refurbished throughout its history, Le Louvre was completed under Napoleon III. Louis XVIII , Charles X , Louis-Philippe all further endowed the collections. The courtyard was bounded by the Tuileries , burnt down under the Paris Commune in 1871. Gifts, legacies and acquisitions continue to enrich the collections every year.
In 1988, the president François Mitterrand decided to devote the entire palace to the museum and asked to I.M. Pei to add a glass pyramid to the palace courtyard. Over the past decade, the French government has invested over US$ 1 billion in restoring, renovating and upgrading its exhibition halls and public spaces. Today, the museum is the world's largest museum. The Louvre houses the most important collection in the Western world. French governments over the past five centuries have assembled the paintings, sculptures and artefacts on display. Only 35.000 of the Louvre 's 300.000 masterpieces are on display. The collections span the period from remotest antiquity (Sumerians, Egyptians) through the Greek and Roman antiquities, the Middle Age, the Renaissance and ends at about 1850.
Pompidou :
The Pompidou Center ( Centre Pompidou in French) is one of the most spectacular buildings of Paris and its close to the Hotel Little Palace. It was designed by architects Renzo Piano (from Italy ) and Richard Rodgers (from the UK ) to bring art and culture to the man in the street.
Its 1977 factory style architecture violently contrasts with the surrounding houses of Paris ' oldest district near the Hotel de Ville . You like the Pompidou Center or you don't, but you will not forget it with its glass facade, its external stairs (below on the picture) and the red, blue and green external pipes on the rear facade.