When I was in high school, I took an art history class that changed my life. I had an amazing teacher who really made the art come to life, and created a desire within me to take in as much as possible. When I realized we were going to Paris, the Louvre was at the top of the list. I don’t think I realized the magnitude of this art museum, but I am beyond thankful that we got to explore it for the time we did. Today, we are going to admire some of the classics at the Louvre Museum of Art in Paris, France!
I can’t start this post without giving you a couple tips before you go. First, realize that the Louvre is massive and you will never see everything in a day. To put it into perspective, the Louvre did a study and if you spent 30 seconds at every piece, it would take you over 100 days to see it all! That being said, I highly recommend a game-plan. Thankfully, you can look on the website where the museum has highlighted the most-famous pieces and tells you where they are located.
Second, I recommend buying your tickets in advance and getting there early. You will have to wait in line once you get there just to get inside. However, it’s better than waiting in line first for tickets!
Now that I have the tips out of the way, let’s get into it! The pyramids outside of the Louvre (which is actually the entrance) are iconic. What’s even more astounding is the actual building itself! Once a palace for the royalty in France, the Louvre’s exterior is something to behold!
Once inside, we made our way into the sculpture gallery, which is tucked beneath another smaller pyramid. My main goal of the trip was to see Winged Victory of Samothrace. This beautiful sculpture was one of my favorite pieces I studied in art history. I didn’t look at the map before we went (that’s why I’m giving you a heads up) so I figured it had to be in the sculpture gallery. The sculpture wasn’t there, but we got to see many other incredible pieces in the meantime!
After the sculpture gallery, we made our way into Napoleon’s apartments. This ended up being one of my absolute favorite parts of the Louvre. The apartments were occupied by Napoleon III at one point and the splendor has been left behind for admiration.
The gold is so striking and over-the-top that it’s just something you will never forget. The French Baroque style of decor and architecture is astounding.
We wandered around the museum a little more and looked to our map to find some direction. We finally found it standing gracefully above a large flight of stairs, Winged Victory of Samothrace. Honestly this moment was huge for me, and the Louvre knows how to properly display such an incredible sculpture.
What I love most about this sculpture is how smooth and flowing her gown is. It literally looks as if she is standing at the bow of a ship in motion. To have studied this sculpture so long ago and to see it in-person was just unreal.
Also unreal was the amount of famous pieces of art. I am including a few photos of some of the other pieces I was excited to see!
The Louvre was absolutely incredible. I long to go back to Paris and enjoy it again.
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