10 Artworks to See at the Louvre Museum | Behind the Masterpiece

The Louvre is home to some of the world's most famous masterpieces, including the "Mona

Lisa" and "Venus de Milo." This 60,000 square meter exhibition space

is the world’s largest museum, and holds over 35,000 pieces of art.

It is said that if you spend 30 seconds looking at each piece, it would take about 4 months.

And that’s non-stop, 24 hours a day.

But visiting the Louvre is one of the most enjoyable things to do when

you’re in Paris. From the Roman and Greek antiquities, to Egyptian, African, Oceanic

and Islamic arts, there’s something for everyone.

To help your visit as you go through this majestic place brimming with culture and history,

here are a few suggestions.

The first thing you’ll see on your visit, is this large glass and metal structure.

The Louvre pyramid has become one of the most

recognizable Parisian landmark. It was designed by the Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei

in 1988 as a part of an expansion project.

The French president at the time, François Mitterrand, initiated this Project in 1981, to add on the Richelieu Wing of the palace,

that was previously home of the Ministry of Finance.

This decade long project doubled the exhibition space, with the Pyramid as the new entrance.

But it was not as loved then as it is today. Some argued that its modernist style clashed

with the classic French renaissance style of the art and history of the museum. Others

were hesitant about trusting a Chinese-American architect who was unfamiliar with French culture,

to take on the massive renovation of a treasured French landmark.

Today it stands as one of France’s most important architectural icons. Welcoming millions

of visitors every year, it is almost synonymous with the Louvre.

The first piece of artwork everyone is heading towards, the most famous artwork in history

really, is the Mona Lisa. Millions crowd around this rather small painting every year to snap

a photo. Knowing the power it holds on society today,

it’s shocking to know that up until the beginning of the 20th century, the "Mona Lisa"

was actually relatively unknown outside of the art world.

Its sudden rise to fame occurred in 1911 when a Louvre employee, Vincenzo Peruggia, stole

the portrait to bring it back to his home country of Italy where he believed it belonged.

He kept the painting hidden in his apartment for two year before presenting it to the Uffizi

Gallery in Florence, where it was hung for only two weeks before it was returned to the

Louvre. It wasn’t gone for very long, but that was

enough time for this previously looked-over painting to be thrusted into the spotlight.

This oil painting by Leonardo da Vinci, is a portrait of a woman seated in front of an

imaginary landscape. The background is done in the Sfumato painting technique, which

is the softening of transitions between colours and tones. We see that here through hazy outlines,

blurred forms, and the absence of clear lines. The figure who is believed to be Lisa Gherardini,

the wife of a silk merchant, sits at the centre with her arms folded, as she gazes