Revisiting a Modern Classic | Pyramide du Louvre by I.M. Pei + Musée du Louvre

Also my second visit to the Louvre. This time my friends and I decided to enter the museum to check out the treasures and artifacts inside it.

Pyramide du Louvre was commissioned by the President of France François Mitterrand in 1984, it was designed by the architect I. M. Pei.

The pyramid and the lobby beneath it were created because of the problems with the Louvre's original main entrance, which could no longer handle an enormous number of visitors on an everyday basis.

"Of all the Grands Projets in Paris, none created such a stir as the Pei Pyramids in the courtyard of the famous Louvre Museum. Spectacular in concept and form, they provide a startling reminder of the audacious ability of modern architects to invigorate and re-circulate traditional architectural forms...The main Pyramid is basically a complex inter-linked steel structure sheathed in reflective glass. In fact it is an entrance doorway providing a long-overdue entrance portico to the main galleries of the Louvre. As one descends into the interior entrance foyer, the dramatic nature of the intervention becomes apparent. The main Pyramid, which certainly disturbs the balance of the old Louvre courtyard, is countered by two smaller pyramids, which provide further light and ventilation to the subterranean spaces." — Dennis Sharp. Twentieth Century Architecture: a Visual History. p407.

Collection

Thirty-Five Thousand Works of Art 
The Musée du Louvre houses 35,000 works of art drawn from eight departments, displayed in over 60,000 square meters of exhibition space dedicated to the permanent collections.


Near Eastern Antiquities
Egyptian Antiquities 
Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities 
Islamic Art 
Sculptures 
Decorative Arts
Paintings
Prints and Drawings 

Address:
Musée du Louvre
75058 Paris Cedex 01
FRANCE