8th November 1793 Louvre opened its doors as a museum in Paris
Louvre, foremost French museum of art, located in Paris. The famous Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Whistler's Mother, and thousands of other works of art are exhibited there.
The building was a royal fortress and palace built by Philip II in the late 12th century. In 1546 Pierre Lescot was commissioned by Francis I to erect a new building on the site of Louvre. In 1564, Catherine de Medic commissioned Philibert Delorme to build a residence at the Tuileries and to connect it to the Louvre by a long gallery. The Grande Galerie was completed in 1606 under Henri IV.
In 1793 the Musée Central des Arts was created by decree and the Grande Galerie of the Louvre was officially opened.
In 1984 excavations began for the gradual expansion of the Louvre underground; construction was completed in 1993. A glass pyramid, designed by I. M. Pei and opened in 1989, sits atop the entrance to this new space. This once controversial art design is now a landmark.
(Source: GuruNet, The columbia Electronic Encyclopedia)
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