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The Louvre The home of the Mona Lisa MUSÉE DU LOUVRE Built within the walls of what was once a royal palace, the Louvre is today one of the greatest art collections in the world. A few of its most famous pieces include the Mona Lisa the Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory. Their fame is their undoing however as they're sure to attract a crowd so thick you might not even know what you're looking at, and just forget about having a moment of contemplation between you and the piece. It's worst with the Mona Lisa who, today, is encased in so much bullet proof glass and special environmental stabilizers that there's barely a point to maintaining the painting at all. Not that you shouldn't check out each of these works, even glimpsing them will give you a thrill, but a better bet in terms of art appreciation, is to break away from the pack. David's Coronation of Napoleon is one particularly marvellous piece that you'll probably get all to yourself. After that, it's almost impossible to say where you should go. Stretching for almost a kilometre the former royal residence has almost too many riches. To help you out a little the collection is divided into seven departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Oriental Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Sculpture; Painting; Decorative Arts; and Graphic Arts. A number of galleries, devoted to Italian paintings, Roman glass and bronzes, Oriental antiquities, and Egyptian antiquities, were opened in 1997 and 1998. If you don't have to do Paris in a day, you might want to visit several times, concentrating on different collections or schools of painting. Those with little time should take a guided tour. |