Louvre Museum: Top 12 Things to See

The Louvre Museum in Paris is massive. It’s impossible to enjoy every piece of art on display. The Louvre houses more than 380,000 pieces of art, but not all of them are on display. How long do you want to spend admiring the art of the Louvre? Chances are you have a few hours before your itinerary in Paris takes you to the next popular tourist attraction.

COVID-19 UPDATE: As of January 12, 2021, the Louvre Museum remains closed until further notice. However, you can get a taste of what the Louvre has to offer in these online virtual tours.

Rather than roaming the Louvre, trying to see everything it has to offer, we did our research and identified the pieces of art we wanted to see – mainly because they are the most popular ones. We knew we’d catch a few of the other exhibits as we walked the nearly 15 acres of space that makes up the Louvre.

To help you be efficient, the artifacts I’ve listed below are organized by proximity. That’s an attempt to save you backtracking around the museum trying to find everything. There are three wings in the Louvre, so you can tackle each wing by navigating through the various floors.

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NOTE: The Louvre is currently undergoing some renovations. As a result, you may find certain pieces are unavailable or relocated to other areas of the museum, so don’t be afraid to ask for directions – otherwise you may be wandering aimlessly.

The Mona Lisa

The Mona Lisa receives nearly 20,000 admirers per day. That’s probably why there is a long line stretching through several floors of the Louvre – from the main entrance below the glass pyramid to Level 2 of the Richelieu Wing (Rubens: The Médicis Gallery).

Don’t worry. The line moves quickly. The guards at the exhibit emphasize the fact repeatedly that you can take one photo and then you need to move on. In fact, my wife and I were taking a selfie, then I spun around with my nice camera to grab a shot as the guard told me “Only one photo.”

Why is the Mona Lisa so popular? I don’t know. It’s said to be the most famous painting of all time. Leonardo da Vinci painted it in 1503-1506. It’s said to be a painting of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo. The Louvre has housed the painting since 1797 – except for the two years it was stolen by an Italian man who felt the painting belonged in Italy. It was housed in his apartment during those two years.

INTERESTING FACT: The Mona Lisa is an oil painting on wood – not canvas.

Venus de Milo

I didn’t realize how long ago the Venus de Milo status was created. We’re talking 130 to 100 BC. That’s more than 2,100 years ago. While there’s a lot of debate around several facts of the status, the biggest one is probably around the actual name of the artwork.

The statue was discovered in the greek island of Milos. The debate is whether she’s Venus (the Roman goddess of love the beauty), Aphrodite (the Greek goddess of love and beauty) or the sea-goddess Amphitrite. What do you think?

The marble status stands 6-foot, 8-inches tall and is located on Level 0 of the Sully Wing (in the Parthenon room).

Sleeping Hermaphroditus

There’s no clear date on when Hermaphroditus was initial sculpted. But it was discovered in the early 1600s. In 1620, an Italian artist sculpted the mattress she’s sleeping on. The mattress looks pretty realistic, right?

The statue and stone mattress were transferred to the Louvre in the early 1800s. It’s located on Level 0 in the Sully Wing, just around the corner from Venus de Milo in the Salle de Caryatides.

Great Sphinx of Tanis

It seems like the majority of art in the Louvre is Greek, Roman or European, but the Great Sphinx of Tanis is part of the Egyptian artifacts found in the museum. I was surprised to learn that this creature – featuring the body of a lion and the head of a king – is said to be created in 2600 BC.

It was discovered in the early 1800s and names of some of the pharaohs were found inscribed on the granite stonework. It was acquired by the Louvre in 1826 and is featured on Level 0 of the Sully Wing in the Crypt of the Sphinx.

Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss

Once you know the mythological story behind this statue, it makes more sense. In short. Psyche opened a bottle she thought had beauty in it. Instead, it had a sleep of darkness. Her lover, Cupid, found and awoke her by pricking her with his arrow. When she came to, she reached up to kiss her lover.

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Sounds a little like the story of Sleeping Beauty, without the spinning wheel. On the backside of the statue, you’ll see the bottle Psyche is said to have opened, and the arrow used by Cupid to awaken his lover.

It was sculpted in 1787-1792 and moved into the Louvre in the early 1800s. It resides on Level 0 of the Denon Wing in the Michelangelo Gallery.

Captives Known as the Rebellious Slave and the Dying Slave

Michelangelo starting carving these two statues out of marble in 1513 because they were part of a planned tomb for Pope Julius II. The Dying Slave (the one with his elbow raised) is said to be in an eternal sleep. The Rebellious Slave is almost wrestling with his hands behind his back, twisting trying to escape.

Both statues stand together on Level 0 in the Denon Wing in the same room as Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss.

The Raft of the Medusa

I couldn’t really understand this painting. With all the Greek and Roman art I’d seen, I assumed this painting had some reference to Medusa, the Greek monster. I later learned it was an oil painting depicting the aftermath of a French frigate (the Méduse) that ran aground near Mauritania in North Africa.

It was painted in 1818-1819 by French Romantic painter Théodore Géricault.

As you can see from the photo above, the painting is massive – 23 feet x 16 feet. I guess had I known the premise of the art (a frigate, not a monster), I would’ve understood more about why it was in this section of the Louvre. It’s housed in Level 1 in the Denon Wing (Mollien).

Liberty Leading the People

I’ve always been intrigued by the French Revolution. This large painting on Level 1 of the Denon Wing (Mollien) depicts a woman, representing the concept of liberty, leading the people over the barricade and bodies toward revolution. It was painted by Eugène Delacroix in 1830.

The hat the woman is wearing, known as a phrygian cap is a symbol you’ll see throughout France. It’s a symbol of liberty and is often worn by a woman. We learned a little more about the phrygian cap during our visit to the Paris Money Museum, as the cap is found on coins throughout French history.

I often associate this painting with a scene out of the movie and story of Les Miserable by Victor Hugo.

Winged Victory of Samothrace

The Winged Victory of Samothrace was sculpted in about 200 BC, although the artist is unknkown. It depicts the Greek goddess of victory, known as Nike. The statue is located at the top of a large staircase, so it’s one of those pieces that is hard to miss. It’s found on Level 1 of the Denon Wing.

Since 1883, the statue has been on display at the Louvre. In 1939, it was removed from the Louvre and taken out of Paris for safekeeping in anticipation of World War II breaking out.

The Coronation of Emperor Napoleon I

I remember learning about the story of this painting when I was in high school. Napoleon, in 1805, placed the crown on his own head, marking the end of the republic and the beginning of a new monarchy. He then placed the crown on his wife’s head.

This painting is massive. In fact, it’s one of the larges ones found in the Louvre. A nearly identical version of this also hangs in the Coronation Room in the Palace of Versailles.

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There are a few interesting facts about this painting. The artist, Jacques-Louis David, included himself in the painting. He was there that day, so it seems appropriate. However, Napoleon’s mother was not present at the actual event, but the artist included her prominently on a large chair, along with Napoleon’s two brothers and three sisters.

This large painting is found on Level 1 of the Denon Wing (Daru).

French Crown Jewels

There’s something cool about seeing a crown that was actually worn by royalty. The jewels on it were massive and ornately placed. The crown shown above was that of Louis XV, worn only during his coronation in 1722. But hopefully you won’t be disappointed to know that the jewels currently in the crown are paste imitations (they aren’t real).

This crown held 282 diamonds (161 large and 121 small), 64 colored stones (including 16 rubies, 16 sapphires and 16 emeralds) and 237 pearls.

The crown, along with other French jewels, are found in the Gallery d’Apollon on Level 1 of the Denon Wing. However, during our most recent visit (Aug. 2019), the Gallery d’Apollon was closed as part of the renovations.

The Louvre Pyramid

The giant glass pyramid that serves as the entrance to the Louvre may seem a little out of place – almost modern. The structure was installed in 1989 and has become iconic to the Louvre. Three smaller glass pyramids are also found in the courtyard, so take some time to wander before or after you explore inside the museum.

There’s some controversy surrounding the glass pyramids. Some French argue it’s an eye sore because it wasn’t designed by a French architect. In fact, it was designed by a Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei.

The whole reason for the new structure was to help accommodate the masses visiting the Louvre every day. The original Louvre entrance just couldn’t handle the crowds.

The Details

Address: Musée du Louvre, 75058 Paris – France. The nearest metro stop is Palais-Royal Musée du Louvre (lines 1 and 7)

Cost: Tickets are around $19 (17 Euro) per person. Everyone under age 18 is free, along with those living in the European Economic Area under age 26, people with disabilities and the person accompanying them, and people on income support. It’s best to purchase tickets online in advance, at which time you must select your date and entrance time. Louvre admission is free for Paris Pass holders, but you must reserve your arrival time online in advance. Paris Pass holders with reserved times can skip the line, which helps you access the museum quicker. An audio guide is available for about $6 (5 Euro) more.

Hours: The Louvre is open every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., but it’s closed on Tuesday. On Wednesday and Friday it’s open until 9:45 p.m. It closes on January 1, May 1 and December 25.

Website: https://www.louvre.fr/en

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