This week we will be exploring the past of the Musée du Louvre, more commonly known as The Louvre. Inside its walls, the Mona Lisa and seventy thousand other pieces of art are housed for over eight million people to visit annually. But what was its original use? Has the Mona Lisa always hung on its walls? What happened when the Nazis took over Paris? The Louvre tells many stories, these are only a few.
The first formal king of France, Philip II, built the Louvre as a military fortress on the Western border of the young country in the 12th century. The River Seine marked the Western boundary at that time. It was designed to guard against attacks from the North. In the 14th century, however, it was put out of commission because the city’s borders extended well past the Seine, and several other outposts were built on the outskirts of Paris. Some of the masonry can still be seen in the museum. The building largely fell to disuse until 1527. Francis I was a Renaissance ruler and a large patron to the arts, especially Leonardo da Vinci, He began a wide spread expansion, including several new buildings in the Renaissance style (famous Renaissance architects were brought in for the design) and galleries and pavilions connecting the buildings.
One of the most famous art heists in history involved the Mona Lisa. The painting was purchased by Francis after da Vinci’s death and was transferred to each of the royal dwellings, ending with Versailles. Once the Louvre became a public museum, Mona was given a home. A notable exception was her stint in Napoleon’s bedroom, at the same time the Louvre was renamed “Musée Napoleon”. In 1911, the painting was stolen right off the walls by Vincenzo Peruggia, a former Louvre employee, who wanted to return the painting to her native Italy. The painting was missing for two years, and Peruggia was hailed as a national hero, but he still served six months in jail for the theft.
Before Hitler’s invasion of Paris, curators at the Louvre prepared the evacuation of tens of thousands of pieces of art. The first to leave was the Mona Lisa, and it was quickly followed by every valuable, movable piece of art in the museum. When Hitler demanded the Louvre’s reopening when he reached Paris, the only items left were the large marble statues that were too heavy and big to move. The museum became a clearinghouse for the plundered art pieces taken from wealth French people, mostly Jews. Some of the pieces of art were deemed “degenerate” and the pieces, as well as those from the nearby Jeu de Paume, were burned in 1942.
Next time: We will be looking at a few of France’s most famous dishes, including bûche de Noël, escargots, and foie gras. The following post will be a recap of our series on Islam in France and a discussion about the upcoming elections in France, and what our election means for their future.
Links:
http://www.history.com/news/six-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-louvre
http://www.history.com/news/10-famous-art-heists-slideshow