Monthly Archives: November 2012

Tips for a Paris visitor: Short guide to the masterpieces of Louvre

Louvre is the most visited museum in the world. It’s situated in the Louvre Palace, which is absolutely huge, and looking at every piece of art in its collection would probably take days and days.
So before going to Paris I carefully planned our visit to Louvre. We ended up spending about three or four hours there and while it sounds like quite a lot of time, that’s what it takes to see the most important parts of the museum!

Here are some tips and a short guide to the masterpieces you absolutely can’t miss when in Louvre.

The entrance of Louvre under the glass pyramid

To enter the museum you have to go through the famous Louvre Pyramid. This enormous pyramid of glass has become one of the symbols of Paris, along with the Eiffel Tower and the Triumphal Arch!

One of the courtyards of Louvre

My advice is to go on a Friday after 18.00, because that’s when there are fewest visitors, so you don’t have to wait in lines and you can actually see the art. Also, this is the time when everyone under 26 gets a free entrance to the museum (which saves you 11 euros, if you are).
There is also free entrance for everyone on the first Sunday of each month, but I strongly recommend you to stay out of there on that day, because that’s when the crowds are at their peaks.

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

Of course, you want to see Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa! Soon you will notice that she’s everyone’s goal. However, you simply can’t miss this legendary painting, because there are signs pointing towards it everywhere!

Here she is in the photo below (and yes, she’s all that):

If you're lucky, this is what it will look like when you get there. However, there are times when the room is full of people!

Another must-see in Louvre is, of course, The Dying Slave by Michelangelo. The Rebellious Slave is right there beside him, too. A lot of things can be written about these masterpieces, but I’ll just say once again that Michelangelo is my all-time favorite artist. I could (and have!) spend hours admiring his works.

The Dying Slave by Michelangelo, Louvre Museum

Another remarkable Italian statue is Psyche and Cupid or Psyche revived by Cupid’s kiss by Antonio Canova:

Psyche and Cupid or Psyche revived by Cupid's kiss by Antonio Canova, Louvre Museum

This is probably the most famous work of art depicting the heartbreaking love story between the mortal beauty Psyche and the divine Cupid, Venus’ son. (Although, they do end up having a daughter.)

Among the ancient Greek statues you will find the celebrated Venus de Milo, famous for her mysteriously missing arms:

Venus de Milo, Louvre

It was actually much larger than I imagined, and really well-preserved, too!

Another piece of art I was looking forward to seeing was The Lacemaker by the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer (you know him for his Girl With a Pearl Earring). This one:

The Lacemaker by Johannes Vermeer, Louvre

However, we wandered around in the Dutch rooms for quite a while, before Hannes finally saw it! It turns out that The Lacemaker is a really tiny painting, not larger than a postcard!
For some reason they put it in a corner, too:

While wandering around we saw quite a big collection of works by the Flemish painter Van Dyck and a wall of portraits by Rembrandt:

Now, these were my highlights from the museum of Louvre. If you’ve been there, I’m sure you have your own ones. And if you’re only planning your first visit, I hope you’ll find my little guide helpful!