Louvre Museum: Must-see masterpieces

More than 480,000 works are recorded in the Louvre's collections, of which more than 36,000 are on display. A surface area of 360,000 m², more than 400 exhibition rooms... The Louvre is an exceptional monument, a temple of art in Paris. But it is also a gigantic place, far too big for a single day's visit!

Impossible to admire all these treasures in one walk. So if you are just passing through Paris, if you only have a few hours to spare, or if you are just looking for a place to start, this article is for you.

Among the thousands of works preserved and exhibited in the Louvre, there are priceless pieces, ancient relics, masterpieces known throughout the world. Paintings, sculptures, objets d'art, and archaeological treasures. These nuggets are to be seen at least once in your life, especially if you are lucky enough to be able to visit the museum that houses them!

Here is a selection of works not to be missed, during your next trip to the museum:

Let's start with the star of this museum, one of the most famous paintings in the world, the one that makes crowds move: the Mona Lisa (Department of Italian Paintings - Denon Wing 1st floor, room 711). Painted by Leonardo da Vinci between 1503 and 1506, this mysterious portrait has fascinated visitors and art lovers for many centuries!

But Mona Lisa is not the only great lady in the Louvre. Among the museum's must-sees are the Venus de Milo (Department of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities - Sully Wing, first floor, room 346) and the Victory of Samothrace(Department of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities - Denon Wing, first floor, room 703), two statues admired the world over, and which come straight from Mediterranean civilizations.

The French can also produce powerful and timeless masterpieces: the proof is in The Raft of the Medusa, by Théodore Géricault (Department of 19th Century French Painting - Denon Wing, 1st floor, room 700) and Liberty Guiding the People, by Eugène Delacroix (same room).

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Do you like shiny things? Then head for the Department of Works of Art from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Modern Times. In the Sully wing (level 1, room 601), you can discover the Chest of Jewels of Louis XIV, made entirely of gold. In the Denon wing (level 1, room 705), you can admire the diamond called "le Régent", an exceptional stone that belonged to various crowned heads of France.

Let's go back in time, in search of the museum's oldest artifacts. The Louvre exhibits several mummies and sarcophagi (Department of Egyptian Antiquities, Sully wing, level 0), but also the famous statue of the Crouching Scribe, dating from 2620 BC, or the monumental statue of Ramses II.

Next, head for the paintings department, on the second level of the Richelieu wing, to admire a large collection of paintings. Among them is the portrait entitled "Gabrielle d'Estrées and one of her sisters", a work often used in films, series and other media.

Of course, this list is not exhaustive, and many masterpieces are missing from this article. But this first selection should already allow you to see a good part of the museum's collections!

Do you love Italian painting? Discover the works of Botticelli in Paris.

Botticelli: where to see his works in Paris museums?
To coincide with the Botticelli, Artist & Designer exhibition at the Musée Jacquemart-André until January 24, 2022, we took a closer look at the artist's works, usually on display in Paris museums. An overview of the works of this immeasurable artist of the Italian Renaissance, to be discovered without having to go to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. [Read more]