Musée du Louvre and the Musée National Eugène-Delacroix Reopen today

After being closed for over 6 months, the Musée du Louvre and Musée National Eugène-Delacroix are reopening their doors today on May 19, 2021. 

Time slots must be booked in advance and all visitors aged 11 and up are required to wear a mask. 

On May 19, the Louvre welcomes visitors back to discover the museum’s permanent collections and exhibitions that have been given extended dates: ‘Body and Soul: Italian Renaissance Sculpture from Donatello to Michelangelo’ is on show until June 21 and ‘The Advent of the Artist’ is being held at the Petite Galerie until July 5. The exhibition ‘A Romantic Duel: Delacroix’s Fascination for The Giaour by Lord Byron’ is at the Musée National Eugène-Delacroix until August 23.

WHAT’S ON NOW

Visitors will still have the opportunity to see the major exhibition ‘Body and Soul: Italian Renaissance Sculpture from Donatello to Michelangelo’, organized in collaboration with the Castello Sforzesco Museum in Milan. The exhibition highlighting the splendors of Italian Renaissance sculpture will now take place until June 21 and will then be presented in Milan from July 20 to October 24, 2021.

The Petite Galerie – a space dedicated to art and cultural education – is extending the run of ‘The Advent of the Artist’, an exhibition tracing the emergence and recognition of the artist through the museum’s masterpieces, until July 5.

‘A Romantic Duel, Delacroix’s Fascination for The Giaour by Lord Byron’, presenting a pictorial encounter between Eugène Delacroix and the writer Lord Byron, at a time when Europe was captivated by the Greek struggle for independence, was initially slated from November 18, 2020 to March 8, 2021 at the Musée National Eugène-Delacroix. It will now run from May 19 and until August 23.

Permanent collections

Visitors will be able to discover over 30,000 artworks and explore the some 55,000 m2 of exhibition space in the Louvre palace as the newly renovated rooms reopen: Near Eastern and Greek antiquities, some of the Egyptian rooms, the Islamic art collections, French sculpture from the 17th to 19th centuries, Italian sculpture, all French painting, Italian, Spanish and English painting, the Crown Jewels, the Napoleon III apartments, medieval and 17th-century decorative arts, the arts of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas…

Between the Grande Galerie and Galerie d’Apollon, visitors can admire the spectacular cleaning and conservation treatment of the prestigious Salon Carré ceiling. Created by architect Félix Duban, it remains one of the most stunning works of historical decoration in the palace. The masterpieces of early Italian painting resume their place in the Salon, featuring newly repainted walls and decorated with Pierre Paulin furniture.

Some rooms will remain closed, either because their small size does not comply with Covid safety measures or because they are undergoing renovations: the East Mediterranean in the Roman Empire, the Roman rooms, the first rooms of the Egyptian Antiquities section (opening June 23), the Etruscan and Italic rooms (opening in July), the Charles X and Colonnade rooms (opening in July), the decorative arts rooms from the Louis XV-Louis XVI era, Louis XVIII, the small rooms of Italian and Spanish painting, the Campana gallery.

Each year, the Louvre museum’s curatorial departments present news of their research, acquisitions, restorations, etc. Three exhibitions will be ready for viewing on May 19: 

– ‘Homage to the House of Bourbon. Pastels by Fragonard and Lemonnier’, shedding new light on the remarkable diversity of Fragonard’s talent, will be on display until September 13 in the Rotonde Sully;

– ‘Ancient Sculptures of Libya and Syria. Fighting Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Goods’ presents ancient looted artworks and the fight against trafficking in archaeological artifacts from war zones, until December 13 in the Department of Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities;

– ‘The Art of Marquetry and Wood Inlay’ presents a selection of artworks illustrating the history of marquetry and wood inlay in the Islamic world, until November 1 in the Department of Islamic Art.

The Louvre has decided to pursue its ‘mini-discovery’ program, offering the public short, guided tours of museum highlights, no reservations required. The 20-minute guided tours aimed at families and museum first-timers are offered with the entrance ticket and are given in French, no specific reservations required. Every half-hour from 10 am to 3:30 pm, a guide stationed in one of the 8 key areas of the museum focuses will take visitors on a whistle-stop tour and answer all of their questions. Tours run on Wednesdays and weekends starting May 19, and daily from July 3 to August 29.

Throughout the summer, free group tours are led by RMN-GP guides, presenting the main masterpieces, the history of the palace and its lesser-known spaces to education, social and accessibility priority groups unfamiliar with museums and greatly affected by the health crisis. The offer is aimed at youth age 6 and up (primary schools, middle schools, REP and REP+ priority education schools), after-school groups, residents of priority neighborhoods in the Ile-de-France region and rural areas, and users of social sector organizations. 

Tours run daily (except Tuesdays) from July 7 to September 17 with 12 tours per day in July, 8 in August and in 2 September). With the support of the Région Île-de-France through the provision of 30 buses for the Louvre.

Admission to the museum is free for caregivers from partner institutions, with an accompanying adult. 

Admission to the Musée du Louvre is free for all visitors under the age of 18 and EU residents under the age of 26. 

The museum book and gift shop will be open and certain catering services on the Louvre grounds, outside of the museum, will open their terraces or provide take-away service (see Visiting Conditions for more details). 

The children’s activities in the Tuileries Garden (carousel, trampoline and toy boats) are also open.

THIS SUMMER

Tuileries Garden

This summer’s blooms were designed in connection with the ‘Paris-Athens. The Birth of Modern Greece (1675–1919)’ exhibition, which opens in September. The some 20,000 plants, half of which the gardeners used to line the central lane of the Tuileries, display the colours of ancient Greek architecture and sculpture, rediscovered in the 19th century.

Several sections of the garden have undergone restoration: visitors can stroll down the Grande Allée, replanted thanks to the ‘Become a patron!’ campaign, and enjoy its new design.

All around the octagonal Grand Bassin, the ornamental gardeners have replanted Rose Gardens: the lavender in the centre of each has been given a new outline and orientation; between the boxwood, climbing roses have been introduced among the iris and sage for an earlier, longer blooming period and a stronger fragrance. Discover the refurbished gardens in June.

‘Secret d’Arcadie’, the new free game in the Tuileries, leads participants on a unique discovery of the garden. Back by popular demand, the Musée du Louvre is hosting a family-friendly, wheelchair-accessible adventure game in the Tuileries Garden. 13,500 players took part in the 2019 edition (cancelled in 2020). The storyline for this third edition involves a series of puzzles and observation skills tests. The themes of gardens and sustainable development cover such topics as human coexistence with nature, biodiversity, what the job of gardener entails, and the history and creation of the garden in the city. 

Free with reservations, from July 10 to August 29. Age 8 and up. Daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

SUMMER PROGRAM: IN PARIS AND BEYOND

The Musée du Louvre actively supports a number of museums across France and around the world through the loan of major artworks and contributions to exhibition curating. Most of these exhibitions have been extended or postponed, as opposed to cancelled. These exhibitions include:

In France:

At the Musée du Louvre-Lens, ‘The Tables of Power. A History of Prestigious Meals’ highlights the history of societal conventions that have crystalized around eating behaviors and practices, at official and then private tables. Until July 26.

Organized by: Zeev Gourarier, Chief Curator of Heritage; Assistant curators: Michèle Bimbenet-Privat (Musée du Louvre), Hélène Bouillon (Musée du Louvre-Lens), Alexandre Estaquet-Legrand (curatorial intern, Institut National du Patrimoine), Christine Germain-Donnat (Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature) and Marie Lavandier (Musée du Louvre-Lens)

The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Bordeaux, as part of ‘A British Year at the Museum’, has two upcoming exhibitions: ‘British Stories’ at the museum (until September 19) and ‘Absolutely Bizarre!’ at the Galerie des Beaux-Arts (June 10 to October 17). The two shows honor British paintings and celebrate the historic bonds that have linked Great Britain and the Aquitaine region for centuries. With the collaboration of the Musée du Louvre. Organized by: Sophie Barthélémy, Director, and Sandra Buratti-Hasan, Curator at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux; Guillaume Faroult, Executive Curator for the Department of Paintings at the Musée du Louvre, and Jenny Gaschke, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery.

Reunion Island, ‘Resonances. The Musée du Louvre on Reunion Island’

For the first time, Louvre artworks will be shown in a French overseas department. Over 200 prints and drawings in five locations on the island will draw parallels between the collections of the Louvre and the museums of Reunion Island. From June 14 to October 14, 2021. Organized by: Xavier Salmon, Director of the Department of Prints and Drawings at the Musée du Louvre. 

As well as:

● ‘The Roman Emperor. A Mortal among the Gods’ / Nîmes, Musée de la Romanité (until September 19). Organized by: Manuella Lambert, Heritage Curator at the Musée de la Romanité in Nîmes, assisted by Cécile Carrier, research manager

● ‘Pharaoh, Osiris and the Mummy’ / Musée Granet in Aix-en-Provence (extended until  September 26, 2021). Organized by: Christophe Barbotin, General Heritage Curator for the Department of Egyptian Antiquities at the Musée du Louvre, and Bruno Ely, Head Curator at the Musée Granet.

● ‘Treasure Hunters, Archaeology and Comic Strips’ /Amiens, Musée de Picardie (May 29–August 29) and at the Halle Freyssinet (June 5–June 27). Organized by: Laure Dalon, Chief Heritage Curator, Director of the Musées d’Amiens, Agathe Jagerschmidt–Séguin, Heritage Curator, Musées d’Amiens, Pascal Mériaux, Director of the association ‘On a Marché sur la Bulle’, and Fabrice Douar, Editorial Manager at the Musée du Louvre

● ‘Mirror of the Prince. The Artistic Commissions of Burgundian High Dignitaries’ / At the Musée Rolin in Autun and the Musée Denon in Chalon-sur-Saône (June 5–September 19, 2021. Organized by: Brigitte Maurice-Chabard, Chief Curator, Director of the Musées de Chalon-sur-Saône, Sophie Jugie, Director of the Department of Sculptures at the Musée du Louvre, and Jacques Paviot, Medieval history professor at UPEC (Université Paris-Est Créteil).

● ‘Idols. The Art of the Cyclades and Anatolia in the Bronze Age’ / Rodez, Musée Fenaille (June 12–October 17, 2021. Organized by: Vincent Blanchard, Chief Curator for the Department of Near Eastern Antiquities at the Musée du Louvre, Ludovic Laugier, Curator, Department of Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities at the Musée du Louvre, Aurélien Pierre, Director of the Musées de Rodez Agglomération

● ‘Ferdinand Philippe of Orléans (1810–1842). Images of an Ideal Prince’ / Montauban, Musée Ingres-Bourdelle (June 18–October 24, 2021). Organized by: Stéphanie Deschamps-Tan, Chief Curator for the Department of Sculptures at the Musée du Louvre, and Côme Fabre, Curator for the Department of Paintings at the Musée du Louvre, Florence Viguier-Dutheil, Director of the Musée Ingres Bourdelle. 

● ‘Giacometti and Ancient Egypt’ / Institut Giacometti (June 22–October 10, 2021). Organized by: Thierry Pautot, curatorial attaché, Head of Archives and Research at the Fondation Giacometti, Romain Perrin, curatorial attaché, Fondation Giacometti, and Marc Etienne, Chief Curator for the Department of Egyptian Antiquities at the Musée du Louvre.

● As part of the season devoted to 18th-century Lorraine sculpture:

– ‘Sculpture in its Castle. Variations on a Major Art’ / Musée du Château de Lunéville (September 18, 2021–January 9, 2022).

– ‘The Adam Family. A Legacy of Sculpture’ / Musée des Beaux-Arts in Nancy (September 18, 2021–January 9, 2022).

Organized by: Guilhem Scherf, Chief Curator for the Department of Sculptures at the Musée du Louvre, and Pierre-Hippolyte Pénet, Curator at the Palais des Ducs de Lorraine, Musée Lorrain.

35,000 artworks from the Louvre are also on long-term loan throughout France, as many artworks as there are on display in the Louvre palace.

International program:

The Musée Mohammed VI d’Art Moderne and Contemporain in Rabat is staging the exhibition ‘Eugène Delacroix, Memories of Morocco’ from June 21 to October 9, 2021. This is the first exhibition devoted to Eugène Delacroix ever held in Morocco, a country he visited in 1832 and continued to paint for the rest of his life. 

Organized by: Claire Bessède, Director of the Musée National Eugène-Delacroix, and Abdelaziz El Idrissi, Director of the Musée Mohamed VI

The exhibition ‘Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins’, already shown at the Louvre-Lens, opened at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles on April 21 and runs until August 16. 

Organized by: Ariane Thomas, Curator of the Department of Near Eastern Antiquities at the Musée du Louvre; Timothy Potts, Director of the J. Paul Getty Museum. 

COMING SOON

Several spaces benefiting from renovations or major restoration work will gradually reopen to the public:

The three rooms at the entrance to the Department of Egyptian Antiquities have been revamped with a new exhibition design highlighting the Stela of Senusret, the Dictionary of the Gods and the newly restored and reassembled monumental Mastaba of Akhethotep. Take an extraordinary journey to the heart of Egyptian civilization starting June 23.

Between July and October, the Etruscan and Italic collections (the largest outside of Italy) will gradually be moved to the king’s apartments on the first floor of the Louvre palace. A stunning opportunity to explore Etruscan civilization, which flourished in central Italy and deeply influenced Mediterranean culture during the first millennium BC, and admire such masterpieces such as the Sarcophagus of the Spouses.

The month of June brings more news from the curatorial departments:

– The famous ‘Asyut Dog’ statue, newly conserved, is on display in the Department of Egyptian Antiquities as of June 23. 

– ‘Alabaster Travels’ in the Department of Sculptures will present the latest research findings on the material that played a major role in European sculpture between the 14th and 16th centuries. From June 2021 to May 2022.

– ‘The Changelet Family of Painters, active between Provence and Burgundy around 1500’, in the Department of Painting, presents a recent acquisition of ‘The Assumption’ with ‘Saint Yves’ on the back, an altarpiece panel painted in Provence in the late 15th century that challenges our knowledge of some of the legendary ‘Avignon school’ workshops. From July 7 to November 8.

– ‘1881–2021, the Louvre celebrates 140 years of the Department of Near Eastern Antiquities’ describes the different archaeological discoveries that have enriched this fabulous collection over the years. From July 14, 2021 to March 2022.

– ‘The Last Judgement in a Prayer Nut. Devotional Boxwood Micro-carvings’, in the Department of Decorative Arts, will share recent research findings, particularly on the incredibly skilled craftsmanship that went into the creation of these intricate artworks. From July 21, 2021 to January 10, 2022.

Auditorium

The Bru Zane Festival

Since the 2020 edition was postponed due to the pandemic, the Musée du Louvre and Palazzetto Bru Zane are partnering once again for the Palazzetto Bru Zane Paris festival with two concerts that will be filmed in the auditorium and free to view on the museum’s YouTube channel for six months. In June.

>Nuits Véronique Gens, soprano I Giardini Shuichi Okada, Guillaume Chilemme, violins Léa Hennino, alto Pauline Buet, cello David Violi, piano / Airs, melodies and instrumental pieces by Camille Saint-Saëns, Hector Berlioz, Ernest Chausson, Jules Massenet, Gabriel Fauré and Guy Ropartz, among others.

>Harpe romantique Frédéric Chatoux, flute Laurent Verney, alto Emmanuel Ceysson, harp / Works by Claude Debussy, Jean Cras and Théodore Dubois, among others.

Comics Weekend / the Louvre in Comics: 15 years of creation

On 11th and 12th of June 2021, the ‘Year of Comics’, the museum invites the public to celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the comic book collection co-published by the Musée du Louvre and Futuropolis. On the agenda: an illustrated concert in the auditorium, a stroll through the museum galleries with an author from the collection, a round table, graphic creations improvised by the authors with online participation.

Musée National Eugène-Delacroix

From 2nd to 14th June, the ‘Parcours Saint-Germain’ presents original pieces by British artist William Mackrell, created in connection with Eugène Delacroix’s work, on display in the studio and garden of the museum. The shimmering metal structures strewn with traces of lipstick from William Mackrell’s mouth offer an echo of Delacroix’s writings and his lyrical way of painting.

FALL 2021

The exhibition ‘Paris-Athens. The Birth of Modern Greece (1675–1919)’ retraces the cultural, diplomatic and artistic ties uniting Greece and France, coinciding with the bicentenary of Greek independence. 200 years ago is also when the Venus de Milo entered the Louvre collections. From September 30, 2021 to February 7, 2022. 

‘Pharaohs of Two Lands: Africa under the Kings of Napata’, delving into the vast kingdom that was located in the north of modern-day Sudan, is rescheduled for spring, from April 27 to July 25, 2022.

For its sixth edition, the Petite Galerie will accompany a programme focused on discovery and exploration with ‘From Afar, Travelling Materials and Objects’, a journey through time and space with a selection of exotic materials and objects from distant worlds (from September 22, 2021 to June 2022).

‘Places, please! Costume Designs from the Edmond de Rothschild Collection’ will be held from October 28, 2021 to January 31, 2022. It will present a rich set of festive costume designs from the Rothchild collection, providing extraordinary insight into the world of the stage during the Ancien Régime.

September 22 will see the inauguration of the Louvre Studio, a brand new 1,150-square-meter space for families, school groups, disabled or disadvantaged visitors and the people accompanying them. The Studio is the second part of a two-stage project focused on art and cultural education that was launched with the Petite Galerie. It will house all of the museum’s workshops and training sessions, and provide new outreach activities that put art-related activities at the very heart of the Louvre and its collections.

At the Musée National Eugène-Delacroix, ‘The Secrets behind Delacroix’s Monumental Decoration’ shows a new themed presentation of the collection, which places special emphasis on new acquisitions and recent restorations. It invites visitors to uncover the secrets behind the Romantic painter’s monument decoration. (September 15, 2021–February 28, 2022)

VISITING CONDITIONS 

All visitors must book a time slot online (www.louvre.fr), including those entitled to free admission. For the Musée National Eugène-Delacroix: www.musee-delacroix.fr 

During off-peak times, there may also be a limited number of time slots for same-day visits available for booking at the museum. But for guaranteed entry, we recommend booking in advance. 

Official online vendors:

Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau, Paris Cityvision, Tiqets, Get your Guide, Headout, Musement, Mon Petit Paris, Klook, Miki Travel, JTB, Kuoni, My Bus, Citywonders, and at FNAC stores.

All staff members and visitors aged 11 and up must wear a mask. 

Two entrances will be open: the Pyramid entrance with queues for each time slot, and the Richelieu entrance for visitors with member cards (Amis du Louvre, Louvre Pro, ICOM, Ministère de la Culture, etc.) and groups. 

One-way systems have been set up to control the flow of visitors throughout the museum. The Galerie d’Apollon and the room where the Mona Lisa is displayed will be entered and exited through separate doors. Special signs indicate recommended itineraries, which visitors will be asked to follow strictly at peak times.

Audio guides will be available for rent. 

For health and safety reasons, some changes have been made to the services on offer: 

– The cloakroom will remain closed, meaning that motorcycle helmets, suitcases and large bags are no longer allowed.

– Pushchairs and wheelchairs, on the other hand, will be available but will be cleaned after each use.

To support independent tour guides, the museum has decided to allow groups (up to 25 people maximum). However, to respect social distancing measures, they will be required to use headsets and microphones.

The following restaurant terraces will open on May 19: the Café Marly Cour Napoléon, the Eric Kayser kiosk (with take-away) in the Carrousel Garden, the Terrasse de Pomone (with take-away), the Pavillon des Tuileries and the Café des Marronniers in the Tuileries Garden. The McDonald’s and Ladurée restaurants in the Galerie du Carrousel will provide take-away service.