The Louvre: The Many Lives of the World's Most Famous Museum

by James Gardner

Some nine million people from all over the world flock to the Louvre each year to enjoy its incomparable art collection. Yet few of them are aware of the remarkable history of that place and of the buildings themselves—a fascinating story that historian James Gardner elegantly chronicles in the first full-length history of the Louvre in English.

More than 7,000 years ago, men and women camped on a spot called Le Louvre for reasons unknown; a clay quarry and a vineyard supported a society there in the first centuries AD. A thousand years later, King Philippe Auguste of France constructed a fortress there in 1191, just outside the walls of a city far smaller than the Paris we know today. Intended to protect the capital against English soldiers stationed in Normandy, the fortress became a royal residence under Charles V two centuries later, and then the monarchy’s principal residence under the great Renaissance king François I in 1546.

It remained so until 1682 when Louis XIV moved his entire court to Versailles. Thereafter the fortunes of the Louvre languished until the tumultuous days of the French Revolution when, during the Reign of Terror in 1793, it first opened its doors to display the nation’s treasures. Ever since—through the Napoleonic era, the Commune, two World Wars, to the present—the Louvre has been a witness to French history, and expanded to become home to a legendary collection, including such masterpieces as the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, whose often-complicated and mysterious origins form a spectacular narrative that rivals the building’s grand stature.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Art, France, Art History, Travel, Museums

395 pages, Hardcover

First published May 5, 2020

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Reviews

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amazingly detailed book relating the history behind the place known as the Louvre, and the evolution of its buildings and land. There is also discussion of the different rulers during each period and what changes they made, if any on the property. Very well written, but at times so scholarly that it could be difficult to maintain my level of alertness. If there is anything you ever need to know about the building of, and/or changes made to the Louvre, the is the book for you.

While I enjoyed the book, it’s top notch, I think I was hoping for more of a virtual visit type book, which I’m sure are out there if I make the effort to look. You see, I went on a trip to London, Belgium, and Paris when I was about 12 years old with a group of other students, and while in Paris. I foolishly opted out of a chance to go to the Louvre, not understanding the significance of it.

Of course later on, I realized what I had passed up. Granted, a short visit would not have done it justice at all, but would have been better than nothing. I really had hoped to one day be able to return now that I’m aware of more of the history behind the treasures I would be looking at. I was just getting into that type of history when I went. So I’m enjoying this book a lot, but I also hope to find the other kind, until I hopefully get a chance to return and explore it for myself. Advanced electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author James Gardner, and the publisher.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for something different to read so I thought I would give this book a try. Before I read this, I knew nothing about The Louvre.

The book is well written. I read this as an audiobook. As various works of art were discussed or sections of The Louvre, I went onto the internet via my iPad and looked at the pictures. That worked most satisfactorily. I was most interested in the section about Napoleon and also Napoleon the Third’s remodeling of parts of buildings. I learned not only about the building and the history but also about the art over the centuries. My problem now is I want to go to see The Louvre.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is twelve hours and forty-seven minutes. Graham Halstead does an excellent job narrating the book. Halstead is an actor and voice actor. He has won an Audio Award and numerous Earphone Awards for audiobook narrations.

[Boyko Ovcharov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent guide to the Louvre, French/European history and cultural heritage.
As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, but well-researched words combined with quality pictures of art become a real treasure to cherish and enjoy.
The academic background of the author adds to the intelligent flavor of the whole book.
Overall, quite deep, objective, immersive and telling numerous stories of significant past events.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It incredible to discover that The Louvre started as a fortress built by King Philippe Auguste in the late 11th century in an area that had 'always been called le Louvre' and over the centuries, through additions and modifications, it eventually opened it's doors in 1783 with it's first exhibition, already on the path to become the largest art museum in the world.

The author has done a tremendous amount of research - not only into the royalty that controlled the castle but the artists, architects, masons, sculptors, administrators, collectors and more that have made an impact on the Louvre as it was discarded as a palace for decades and then revitalized during a future reign. Parts were demolished and other buildings were constructed and added. The Grande Galerie that connected the oldest parts of the Louvre with the Tuileries Palace - an royal palace for nearly 300 years - which closed off the western end of the Louvre and was burned to the ground in 1871. Dozens of architectural styles from Romanesque to Renaissance to Modern and nearly everything in between. Through archaeological excavations in the former moat as well as during the construction of Pei's Pyramide, sections of the fortress foundations have been discovered and are now on display.

Gardner also goes into how the Louvre achieved many of its contents from purchases to donations of private collections. Napoleon was notorious about sending to Paris the contents of museums during his military expansion (*cough* war *cough*). Even the contents of the Vatican was not safe but once he was overthrown, many pieces were returned to their previous owners.

From Gardner's discussion of the extensive rooms, hallways and hidden areas within - and the map that really doesn't convey the enormous size of the entire museum - trying to explore the entire Louvre - if a tourist could get access to everywhere - would literally take days if not weeks. Every room has history embedded in the very wall and ceiling decor along with any fine art being displayed. Fortunately for those who visit, the Louvre directors/curators decided to no longer display paintings in salon-style - due to the ceilings heights enabled them to be stacked 4-6 high along a section of wall.

Wars are a dangerous time - not only for the people of Paris - but for the artwork owned by the Louvre. Explosives, gunfire and eventually bombing from the air as well as Paris' occupation by invading armies. The Prussians and later the Nazis come to mind and they, in turn, did their share of plundering although the Nazi officer in charge of Paris did what he could to protect this national treasure.

And that is only touching on the massive amount of information Mr. Gardner included. If you intent to take a trip to Paris and plan to include a visit to the Louvre, take some time to read through this book. It will tell you about many subtle and hidden-in-plain-sight objects that the general tourist may miss.

One thing I would love to see - if it doesn't already exist - is a program that shows the growth of the Louvre over the centuries. From the fortress and as parts were added, demolished, extended and converted through a rotating viewpoint. Over it's 900 years of existence, the Louvre has changed quite a bit and there should be some way to see that in a visual media.

2020-209

[Lisa Konet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an exceptional travelogue of the famous Louvre in Paris; the history (including how it was built) and how it changed, grew, declined, etc. throughout time until it finally became the best museum ever. I am hoping to visit there myself one day but this was such a moving history and why this gem must be taken care of so future generations can enjoy it.

Obviously, I highly recommend this if you want to learn about Paris and any of its well-known landmarks or just if you want a good architectural read. I will by this to own when it becomes available!

A sincere thank you to James Gardner, the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent history of the iconic museum. The focus is on the complex building itself and the rulers and architects who, over the centuries, made the complex happen. The book is a great combination of history, architecture and art. The Louvre structural layout never made sense to me, and this history explains why. Many of the buildings were built independently and for different purposes. Repeated efforts were made to rationalize the complex. Plus, the royal residences in the Tuileries were destroyed during the commune, voiding an entire side unexpectedly. Gardner paints vivid portraits of the historical figures, and you learn how many of the famous art pieces were acquired. My only regret is that I was only able to obtain the audio book. Therefore, there were no illustrations. As Gardner pointed out in the narrative, all his references were accessible on Wikipedia. It did slow things down to look up artworks and portraits on line but it also extended the pleasure of this rich exploration.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Louvre began life as a construction to protect the city from their English neighbors. Multiple monarchs expanded the structure and remodeled it to suit their needs, turning it into the Louvre Palace. Unfortunately, construction slowed after the royal residence was moved to Versailles, though it was used to house artists under royal patronage after that. The Louvre became a museum during the French Revolution, where it has remained a home for beautiful and priceless works of art. This book covers the entire history of the Louvre through the modern era. I thought the research was well done. It was also free to listen to on Audible Plus, which I loved.

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful journey through centuries, revealing stunning details of Louvre's history. The focus is on the development of the building and landscape around it, and I wish the story of the collection were done with the same fussiness as architecture. Still there are plenty of details and anecdotes that was pleased and surprised to get to know.

[Penny Cipolone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a quick read but a wonderfully detailed account of the creation of the "world's greatest museum".
Excellent picture of how architecture, art, culture, and history all worked to create this gift to the world.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this, I will have to make another visit so I can experience all of the things I didn't know about French history and art history the last few times I was there. Lots of facts written in a very engaging, informative fashion. Mr. Gardner has a great story telling ability and is adept at tying it all together. If you are into architecture, this is the book for you too!

[Jean Bonilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! As someone who has visited the Louvre many times since the 1980s, I have watched its evolution into the sterling, world-class institution that it is today. In our first home, I placed two beautiful posters depicting the pyramids now in the plazas outside the museum. They evoke so many lovely memories; they still hang in our house today.

I will say that this book is very hard to follow in some ways because it skips around to a certain extent in time; there are constant references to events that happened in the past or that will happen in the future; many citations reference events or governments without giving years. It’s really necessary to be a student of French history in order to understand when the Tuileries was burned or what the July Monarchy was. I had to keep looking things up to learn or confirm my recollections. Still it’s a trove of fascinating information about a world-famous iconic building. I wouldn’t have missed the chance to read it!

Consequently, the review below is way too long! It quotes extensively from the book, with page numbers indicated. I wanted to be able to refer to things I read in the future without having to resort to Google.

Gardner’s book touches on history and architecture, as well as the political turmoil of the times in which the museum involved. King Charles V of France initiated a wall encompassing only the area on the Right Bank where the Louvre stands today. It was finished by his successor, Charles VI in 1383, three years after he died. The wall was constructed on a series of ramparts which later came to be known as boulvars. The word is the root of our modern one, boulevard. The grand Boulevards of Paris are the remains of Charles V’s fortifications. The wall’s bulwarks were dismantled, flattened, and filled in by Louis XIV starting around 1670, to be replaced by the sort of broad, landscaped avenues to which we now refer as boulevards. p. 19

Louis XIV proved to be one of the most energetic collectors of art of the age. The galleries of the Louvre, as we know them today, would be unthinkable without the paintings he acquired three centuries ago. He was not interested in Italian painting prior to Leonardo da Vinci, but he seems to have a quired what Gardner describes as the standard art of the day. He also seems to have collected French painting, which seems to be something that other collectors of the time were not as interested in. p. 114

One of his providers of paintings was a Cologne banker, Everhard Jabach. Among many things, Louis appears to have purchased from him Jabach’s personal collection of 6000 drawings, again something that was not typically collected at the time. Through this one acquisition, the Louvre became the repository of what was and perhaps remains the greatest drawing collection in the world.

Louis doesn’t appear to have had “taste.” His collecting seems to be like that of a modern billionaire - just acquiring prestigious works in order to have them. In short, Louis’ tastes were those of a conformist: he favored famous names that, despite their obvious excellence, no illustrious authorship could be attached. The art that Louis favored and understood represented the bedrock of received taste in the middle years of the 17th century.

That’s why the fact that his collection is so incredibly high quality is remarkable. He has the da Vinci, the Titians, the Rubens. Caravaggio is one of his oddest choices; it is a name that did not have fame and influence at the time, but has grown in stature. When the artist died in 1610 his fame and influence dissipated almost immediately. He was largely forgotten until his rediscovery by Italian scholar Roberto Longhi around 1950 - 340 years later!

Louis also left his mark on Paris architecture. He built the Hôpital de la Salpêtrière and the Hôpital Nacional des Invalides. He was responsible also for the metamorphosis of the medieval fortifications of earlier generations into Paris’ famous boulevards. But Louis’ greatest achievement in Paris was the Louvre itself. He succeeded in completing the process of quadrupling the Palais du Louvre, thus imparting to the Cour Carrée the dimensions that we know today. This had been a dream of the kings and queens of France for 100 years at least.

In May 1682 Louis XIV moved to Versailles leaving the Louvre still as a construction site. So it remained for 130 years. The buildings of the Cour Carrée stood as hollow shells; although their structures were completed, they lacked doors, floors, ceilings, and window panes. This would remain the case until the time of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Louis XV took his residence up in the Louvre around the time of 1722, the last time that a king of France would inhabit that building. Afterwards both the king and the people of Paris searched for a purpose for the Louvre.

There were five official French academies that established themselves in the Louvre buildings. One of them the Academy of Art and sculpture is responsible for the annual shows that became well known in the 19th century. It started as the main event of the Academy’s year so that the members of the Academy could look at the sample work and decide whether various artists were eligible to become members.

At some point before the first salon in 1667, the decision was made to open the show to anyone who wished to see it. This would have been the sort of public exhibition that we take for granted today and may even have been something that would have emerged in any case. Obviously there had been other official showings of Art works in Rome, perhaps even in Athens. But in point of historical fact, this sort of exposition appears to have been the first institutionalized, if not invented, by the Academy of painting and sculpture and nurtured in the chambers of the Louvre. The decision to open up the exhibition to the public was a first step in the eventual transformation of the palace into a museum. It also resulted in the birth of art criticism as we know it today: the merits of each work were debated not only by the public, but also in print, by such a newly emerging group of art critics.

Another interesting note is that in order to accommodate all the artwork for show, the organizers had to hang them in a stacked style up to the ceiling of the cavernous room. It ended up in some instances being stacked six-high! The style today is referred to as salon-style hanging. p. 162

The Louvre opened as a museum on November 8, 1793 in perilous circumstances. The date was chosen to coincide with festivities celebrating the new French constitution, but at the same time, the reign of terror was in full swing: in what amounted to a coup d’état one of the factions began arresting members of the other faction and would soon start executing them, even as they were now executing aristocrats in the Place de la Concorde. In addition wading through the streets to the building itself involved passing through a labyrinth of irregular streets, ramshackle houses, and shops. From there one moved through a long, ill-lit passageway before entering what is now the Cour du Sphinx and acsending the narrow stairway originally designed a generation earlier to facilitate access to the annual exhibitions in the Salon Carrée. p. 184

Although Napoleon did not live in the Louvre, he took his role as its custodian seriously. He treated his military adventures as ways to gather artifacts. Of course, he had military goals and he pursued those goals. But he also had experts with him and people following after him to gather the artifacts and to convey them safely back to France. One of the most amusing aspects of this discussion is the feeling that the French people had that they were “liberating” those artifacts from the slavery in which they had been bound in Rome after the Romans had seized them from the Greeks or from the Ottoman Turks. While many of these artifacts have been returned in these later years of the 20th century, at least in the early years of Napoleon’s reign they formed the core of some of the best work in the Louvre. p. 200

There were two important consequences of these seizures. One had to do with the science of art restoration. Many of the works were treated in the studios of the Louvre, which was at the forefront of this essential new discipline. When some of the seized paintings were returned to their rightful owners after Waterloo, many of the owners were pleasantly surprised to find them in such good condition. The Director of the museum of Brunswick in Germany commented that his paintings had returned in a state “that was certainly no worse, and in some cases far better, than the state in which they left us.”

The second noteworthy consequence was a new, even revolutionary, appreciation of the Italian primitives, a term which, early in the 19th century, included everyone before the high renaissance, that is from Botticelli as far back as Duccio, I.e., 13th and 14th century.

Napoleon III, the nephew of Napoleon I, ruled between 1848 and 1870. (He lived 1808-1873.) While in 1793 the Louvre had been officially opened as a museum, it really came into its own during the reign of Napoleon III. On August 14, 1857, the emperor of France, Napoleon III, held a banquet for 500 construction workers who had achieved something that had eluded kings and councilors for nearly three centuries: the unification of the Tuileries and the Louvre.. The construction in the Louvre was coupled with building programs all over the city of Paris. p. 237

Interestingly, during his 10 years in the British Capitol, Louis Napoleon developed an interest in urbanism, and especially in the development of public parks, that he would put to such excellent use when he returned to France in 1848 and won election as the first and only president of the newly created second republic. p. 241

With the ouster of the king in the February revolution of 1848, the long time architect of the Louvre retired. He was 87. He had occupied that post since 1801 when Napoleon Bonaparte was still first consul. Three men were now involved in creating the new Louvre of Napoleon III: Felix Duban, Louis Visconti, and Hector Lefuel. The conception of the work in this period was by Visconti, but he died unexpectedly in 1853 and Lefuel took over.

Visconti single-handedly solved the riddle of uniting the Carrée and the Tuileries in a way that gave them a sense of symmetry so crucial to official French taste.. Essentially what he did was add E-shaped buildings that extended into the main courtyard on both the north side and the southside to give a feeling of “occupancy” to what was otherwise and uncomfortably large space. The court is still large but it is thus reduced to a more human scale. Because those buildings came in to that large space in a symmetrical way, they gave a feeling of symmetry to that court. They also provided a large amount of new exhibition space.

During the second republic, from 1848 to 1852, much work was done by Felix Duban. This architect had already done some major renovations on other big buildings in Paris and was essentially responsible, more than any other architect, for inventing the classic Beaux Arts interior that would reach its confirmation later in the century by Lefuel. p. 263

Jeanron was a Director of the museum and made a crucial change in the way it displayed art; instead of stacking paintings six-high to make “an enameled bed of flowers,” Jeanron determined that viewers should be able to see them up close and learn about them. Museums all over the world today use this same technique. p. 277

Jules Dalou took up residence in the Louvre during the third republic. He would become one of the finest sculptors of the third republic. Living in the Louvre, he reopened the museum on 18 May. The Communards occupied the Tuileries palace, where they offered concerts and tours for 50 centimes a head, with the proceeds going to help the wounded and orphans of the Franco Prussian war. But such diversions were short-lived. Several days later the National Guard marched from Versailles and took up positions in the capital; their goal was to crush the Communards. Dalou fled for London exile. p. 293

The rule of the Paris Commune reached its violent conclusion during the so-called bloody week, from 21 to 28 May 1871. The National Guard lobbed projectiles into the city and one of these actually landed on the roof of the Louvre’s Grande Gallerie, without damaging any of the paintings. The museum somehow remained open, at least initially.

One of the Communard military leaders, Jules Bergeret, resolved to set fire to the Tuileries palace on 23 May 1871. He had taken steps to prepare for such an eventuality, stocking its central pavilion with oil, turpentine, and alcohol. Around 9 o’clock in the evening, he and his followers formed three groups and began to strew the floors and walls with bucketfuls of these highly flammable materials. He then set them on fire. At exactly that moment, at various points around the city, similar teams were setting fire to other public buildings, among them the Hôtel-de-Ville. But the area around the Louvre sustained the greatest damage from the systemic vandalism. At the end of the day, the Tuileries palace was completely burned; the wreckage was removed only 12 years later, in 1883. But for this fortuitous consequence of Bergeret’s vandalism, the Louvre today would feel closed off from the rest of Paris. The history of architecture may afford no greater irony than that the unification of the Louvre and the Tuileries, the ambition of almost every French ruler for 300 years, lasted scarcely a decade. Many elements of the Tuileries have survived, scattered throughout Paris and the rest of Europe. Some of them are even found in other parts of the Louvre and one of the arches that spanned the western side of the Palace can be found near the Southern Terrace of the Tuileries garden. p. 293-295

Some additional summary notes:

Although the Louvre today is in the center of Paris as measured by the beltway that encircles it, at its inception it was far on the west of the city. When it was built originally as a fortress in 1200, it was a military outpost. The Louvre would preserve that status until a new wall built around 1370 finally assimilated into the city. But even then the Louvre stood at the western edge of the capital and would remain there for the next 500 years.

There is no part of Paris denser in historical consequence than the Louvre. This heritage will surprise many visitors to the museum, who may not even realize that it ever served any other function than that of a repository of great art. In fact, although the Louvre has existed for more than 800 years, it has been a museum for only a little over 200 of those years.

The Palace of the Louvre, properly understood, consisted of the four wings that now make up the Cour Carrée occupying the eastern extremity of the Louvre complex. For most of its history, when people spoke of the Louvre, they meant this square structure. Furthermore, the reason you can see the Arc de Triomphe in the distance is that the Tuileries palace, which was begun in 1564 and should be blocking your view was, as noted above, burnt to the ground during the 1871 Paris Commune.

Almost everything that we see today in the Louvre including the entire northern half of the building did not exist before the 1850s. Instead this entire area was filled for centuries with churches, a hospital, and many houses great and small, some of them little better than huts.

Comprising nearly 400,000 objects from 50 centuries and 200 generations of human culture, the Louvre is almost certainly the greatest collection of human artifice ever assembled in one place. Vast, overarching historical and cultural forces brought each of those objects into the galleries of the museum. The Louvre is, among other things, a vast indiscriminate cocktail of princely collections purchased or purloined over the course of centuries. Not all of it is good, which is of some interest in itself.

As for me, i feel like I have a more intimate understanding with a museum I’ve always loved. I will never look at it - or those posters - the same way, again. A truly fascinating tale!

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at the Louvre from fortress to gallery and how it evolved.Interesting history about it.

[Andrew Canfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

The many incarnations of France's well-known museum ensure The Louvre: The Many Lives of the World's Most Famous Museum remans an immensely readable book from start to finish. Historian and art critic James Gardner set out to create a biography of the Louvre, and in the process he provides a swift analysis of centuries' worth of French and Parisian culture.

The Louvre started out as a defensive fortress under France's King Phillip II in the late twelfth century. For hundreds of years it stood beside the Tuileries palace, the structure which (prior to its burning to the ground during the 1871 Commune) was home to many French monarchs.

The Louvre did not become thought of as a museum until the late 1700s during the onset of the French Revolution, and it is strange to read Gardner's stories of the building serving at one point as an apartment-like residence for Parisians. It also served as the location of various governments ministries; the Ministry of State and the Financial Ministry at one time were located in the Louvre.

King Francois I was one of the most important individuals early on in the book. His early sixteenth century transformation of the Louvre was held out as an important step in its evolution. These efforts at transition were given impetus in 1540 when Holy Roman Emperor Charles V visited Paris. Charles's presence drove home to Parisians the importance of boosting its magnificence so as to simultaneously boost their city's prestige throughout Europe.

The growing importance Europeans attached to art-for-the-sake-of-art during the later middle ages was driven home in anecdotal form by Gardner's recounting of the time Charles V was having his portrait rendered by the Venetian painter Titian. After Titian dropped his paintbrush, Charles allegedly bent down to retrieve it for him, a shocking act for an emperor to engage in vis a vis an artist.

Henry IV's establishment of the Grand Gallerie in 1607 went a long way toward moving perceptions of the Louvre, as it went from being viewed as a primarily defensive bulwark to an appropriate palatial home for royalty.

Several French monarchs stood out for their contributions to the Louvre's growth into the world-renowned institution it has become today. Philip II and Francois I play crucial roles early on before it took on its later identity as a showcase of artwork and sculpture.

Louis XIV diligently added to its collections, and his royal advisor Jean-Baptiste Colbert figured massively in the narrative. Colbert guided the king during the period when the gathering of a number of artifacts and a series of architectural decisions were made for the building. The late sixteenth/seventeenth century French minister and clergyman Cardinal Richelieu was another non-monarch who received ample focus in the book for his contributions to the Louvre's growth.

The author mentions Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's observation that "Architecture is frozen music," going into at times intricate detail about the various modes of thought which went into the Louvre's various modeling and remodeling.

Napoleon Bonaparte certainly was responsible for the addition of many works of art to the newly established museum, but the manner in which these were gathered were not above board. The plundering of artifacts from Egypt to Italy (many of which were returned post-Waterloo) by the Grand Armee led to the casting of a cloud over the means by which the ends of bringing them into the Louvre's displays were achieved.

But the biggest star was the Petite Caporal's nephew, Napoleon III. He not only strove to make it a crown jewel of splendor in his Second Empire, but also lived in it as his personal palace.

To hear Gardner tell it, the Louvre has changed more in the last forty years than it did in the century from 1880 until 1980. President Francois Mitterrand's efforts to raise the museum's status in the 1980s, although one allegedly undertaken for largely nationalistic purposes, was nevertheless painted as a successful venture. The huge growth in attendance numbers and the increasing respect for the Louvre as a cultural artifice in and of itself since then were held up as evidence of Mitterrand's policies to boost the Louvre paying off.

Twenty building campaigns over the course of five hundred years were required before it became the venerated institution it has become in the twenty-first century.

The controversy surrounding the Carrousel de Louvre was a proxy war of sorts, as many in Paris did not want to the site become too commercialized or Americanized by the addition of this underground shopping center. I.M. Pei's creation of the glass pyramid also proved a lightning rod of criticism as well, and Gardner documents the debate over this addition. He manages to make this sound not as incongruous a piece of architecture as it otherwise might come across by mentioning that Egyptian culture played a not-insignificant role in the life of the Louvre's collections.

James Gardner really made a well-done summaries of the many lives of this museum. He steered clear of going too deep in the architectural and artistry-related weeds; as interesting as some of these side details and stories would have been to read, they would have bloated the book's length and distracted from the sort of sweeping, thirty thousand foot view he was shooting for.

Readers are sure to appreciate the enriching view of the building's eight hundred plus years provided by Gardner. He moves smartly through numerous building campaigns and the designs of heady monarchs, choosing not to focus excessively on any one king, artist, or adviser. Rembrandt, daVinci, and various Italian artists of course receive their due, but the author's discipline keeps things around a central focus from start to finish.

Four stars are definitely merited by this combination art/European history nonfiction work.

-Andrew Canfield Denver, Colorado

[Megsbookclub · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting a lot more pictures but there were a few that were all in black and white. I was hoping there would be more. This is more of a history book, a little dry for me. But does have a ton of detail about The Louvre and many people through history that were involved with The Louvre one way or the other.

[Maudaevee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is hard to give feedback on, mainly because I am just not the right kind of reader for this book. This no doubt a thorough and well researched book, it was full of detail, too much detail for me, I got lost in all the facts fairly early on and it was a little overwhelming. I would recommend this for avid history and/or architecture fans.

[Roberta Westwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A timely post-heist listen

I listened to this book shortly after the shocking heist at The Louvre in October 2025 (see ⭐️s below). While I have read much about the museum and have fond memories of my visits, I wanted a deeper dive into the building’s history. Gardner’s book definitely fit the bill. The history is there, but so are many stories. Just excellent!

Especially interesting to me were the slightly askew architecture, the origins of art exhibitions, and how paintings were initially hung salon style. I also finally understand what a regent is, and was amused to learn how royals view art without being noticed!

The chapters are both numbered and well labelled in the audiobook, but sadly there is no PDF accompaniment. I would have loved to see floor plans and schematics showing how the Louvre’s footprint evolved. After checking the Kindle preview, I discovered that it includes a beautifully color-coded map by era — visible when you tap the Table of Contents icon and open “Map.” Such a shame that audiobook listeners aren’t given this context.

As the book unfolds over time, I built this listening guide with historical dates and major turning points mentioned in the audio. It provides a clear sense of how the Louvre evolved from fortress to museum, and how art and politics shaped its story.


Preface / Introduction
Sets the stage for how the Louvre mirrors French identity — a story spanning eight centuries of power, art, and architecture.

Chapter 1. The Louvre’s Origins (12th–15th centuries)
A fortress rises under King Philippe II (Philippe Auguste) around 1190 to defend Paris.
By the 14th century, Charles V converts it into a royal residence and seat of power.
Gothic towers and moats hint at the medieval Paris that once surrounded it.

Chapter 2. Renaissance Era (16th century)
Francis I begins the Louvre’s transformation into a Renaissance palace inspired by Italian art and humanism.
Catherine de’ Medici continues his vision, adding elegance and gardens.
The palace becomes a showcase of classical symmetry and imported artistry.

Chapter 3. Early Bourbon Period (17th century)
Henry IV links the Louvre to the Tuileries with the long Grande Galerie.
Painters and sculptors decorate its halls, merging royal ambition with artistic skill.
The Bourbon kings envision a seat of culture worthy of a dynasty.
⭐️This is where the Galerie d’Apollon is discussed, the site of the 2025 crown jewels heist.

Chapter 4. Age of the Sun King (mid–17th century)
Louis XIV commissions grand new façades and galleries.
Soon after, he moves his court to Versailles, leaving the Louvre’s projects unfinished.
The palace remains a symbol of royal aspiration — magnificent yet incomplete.
⭐️The Galerie d’Apollon is discussed again here, with particular mention of the windows.

Chapter 5. Years of Neglect (18th century)
The Louvre drifts into decay as kings favor other palaces.
Artists occupy its abandoned chambers as makeshift studios.
The neglected structure becomes a hive of creativity and a precursor to its future as a museum.

Chapter 6. Revolutionary Louvre (1793–1815)
During the French Revolution, the National Assembly declares the palace a public museum — the Muséum Central des Arts.
Masterpieces seized from churches and royal collections fill its galleries.
Under Napoleon I, art from across Europe arrives, expanding the Louvre’s fame and controversy alike.

Chapter 7. Restored Monarchy Era (1815–1848)
After Napoleon’s fall, many looted works are returned.
Louis XVIII and Charles X rebuild the museum’s reputation with new acquisitions and reforms.
The Louvre becomes a proud emblem of national recovery and cultural continuity.

Chapter 8. Second Empire Expansion (1852–1870)
Napoleon III completes the long-envisioned unification of the Louvre and Tuileries.
Architects and decorators create vast courtyards and ornate galleries.
The modern museum’s scale and grandeur emerge, celebrating both art and empire.

Chapter 9. Modern Louvre (1871–1945)
The Tuileries burns during the turmoil of 1871.
Through wars and occupations, curators protect and relocate thousands of artworks.
By World War II, the museum stands as a symbol of survival and cultural resilience.
⭐️Tip: I recommend The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland as the best book on how the Louvre’s works were protected from Hitler’s looting in WWII.

Chapter 10. The Grand Louvre (1945–present)
Postwar restoration renews the museum’s purpose.
François Mitterrand’s “Grand Louvre” project and I.M. Pei’s 1989 pyramid unite old and new.
The Louvre becomes a beacon of modern France — open, global, and ever evolving.

Epilogue
Across nine centuries, the Louvre evolves from fortress to world class museum.
Its walls hold not only masterpieces but the layered history of France itself.



Edition details below refer to the Audible audiobook I listened to:

The Louvre: The Many Lives of the World’s Most Famous Museum
Written by: James Gardner
Narrated by: Graham Halstead
RELEASE DATE 2020-08-04
FORMAT Unabridged Audiobook
LENGTH 12 hrs and 47 mins
PUBLISHER Tantor Audio

©2020 James Gardner (P)2020 Tantor

[Mark Stattelman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened on Audible. This one might have been better to read. There is a ton of information here, everything you ever wanted/or not to know about the history of the Louvre and the museum that sits on the ground or land mass that was once called the Louvre by the peasants living in the area. That's right, the author makes the distinction early on between the land and the building. A distinction without a difference, today? Who knows? No one seems to know why the land was called the louvre, and the word apparently has no known definition in the French language. A lot of people have speculated and proposed that the word was a corruption or derivation of one or two other words, but no one really knows. I don't really know why this factoid stuck with me, maybe because it was one of the first tidbits I "tripped over."
That's what I felt like listening to this book, that I was casually listening and tuning in and out until I tripped over some bit of information that was presented, something caught my attention. There really was simply too much to really take in all of it, and there were boring spots as with all of history.
This book would be excellent for someone doing research, at least just starting out with a broad overview. I am certain, however, that there are probably quite a few other resources out there. And someone doing research would quickly find authoritative sources.
I guess what I'm trying to say, or figure out, is just where this book fits in to the grand scheme of things. There is way too much for the casual listener to take in. So, perhaps a casual listener who is also a dedicated history buff and a serious Art connoisseur.
Not to get too much into the weeds, but I would be curious to see the actual physical copy of the book. This has to be much more than the casual "coffee table book." I didn't know going into the listen what I was getting into. LOL.
Overall, a good book, just not for the casual listener (if you listen to books) or reader (maybe--I'd have to see a copy). A serious Art History student who has a thesis or paper to write, maybe? I'm sure there is an index (has to be) so you won't have to wade through the whole thing.
I listened to the book because it popped up as a freebie for me on Audible and was due to expire a week or so later. So, I thought I'd give it a listen . . . why not?
I like art and have been to Paris a few times (most of those times just passing through). I have only seen the Louvre (I mean the building, haha. Guess I should say The Musee de Louvre. I'll never be able to refer to the building again without thinking of the land and building being different entities.) from the outside.
I have been in other museums around the world. If you ever get a chance to visit the Hermitage I would recommend doing so. They were rebuilding the Amber Room (I guess "replicating" would be the better word) when I was there and had part of the panels on display in the Catherine Palace at Tsarskoye Selo. And here is where I must recommend a book on the history of the Amber Panels, titled, appropriately enough, The Amber Room, by Cathy Scott-Clark and Adrian Levy.
There is a work of fiction of the same name by the author Steve Berry that is entertaining. I read the fictional Berry book first, and then read the factual history (the Scott-Clark and Levy book).
Basically, the panels were stolen by the Nazis and never recovered.
So, basically, I do love art and history . . .

[Nemo Nemo]

AUTHOR

James Gardner is a prolific art critic. He is widely published with articles that have appeared in such diverse publications as: The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New Republic, and the Spectator Magazine. He is presently an editor at The Magazine Antiques and has a half a dozen other manuscripts in publication.

WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE?

The Louvre: The Many Lives of the World’s Most Famous Museum is a serious book for those who adore the history, the spectacle, and the beauty of France’s most notable museum. If you enjoy history, art, sculpture pomp and circumstance of the land dating back some 7,000 years, then this could be a read you would enjoy.

SYNOPSIS

The history of The Louvre is only overshadowed by the history of Paris itself. Gardener ferries us skillfully through the sometimes-complex chronology of The Louvre from the past to the present. Gardner guides us across the chasm of time beginning with the earliest inhabitants of the land to the stunning awe-inspiring beauty of today’s architectural masterpiece. The cast of historic characters remains every bit as interesting and notable as the iconic landmark itself. Some of the distinguished individuals within the pages are: King Philippe Auguste, Charles V, Louis XVI, and Napoleon to name but a few.

Across centuries from 7,000 years ago through the construction of a fortress in 1191, Gardner imbues us with a very intimate knowledge of the legend that is The Louvre. He takes us through the Reign of Terror, the Napoleonic period, the Commune, and on to recent history.

Gardner’s work is a masterpiece resplendent with facts, details and an appreciation of the museum. The author ends with the knowledge that The Louvre is now more popular than ever and its visitor levels are a very healthy 8 million most years.

CONCLUSION

Contained within the pages of this volume are some black and white photographs, plates and illustrations. Furthermore, there is a list of endnotes and a Bibliography. I had anticipated a directory of detailed references, but I was disappointed.

Sadly, at the time of writing this review the Museum has been closed for several days as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak that is spreading across the globe. No doubt this will reduce the number of visitors annually, unless circumstances change.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank James Gardner, NetGalley, and Atlantic Monthly Press for affording me the opportunity to review The Louvre: The many Lives of the World’s Most Famous Museum.

[donna_ehm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narrator Graham Halstead was a pleasure to listen to. His voice was clear, his reading well paced, and - to these ears at least - his pronunciations of French locations and names was accurate. He also sounded very interested in what he was reading which isn't much of a surprise because the history of this iconic building is rather fascinating. Author James Gardner weaves in the political and historical events that are as much the foundation of the building as are its literal foundations. Art is power and the rulers of France did not miss an opportunity to use the Louvre as advertising and propaganda for their right to govern.

I didn't have access to the images when listening to this (my download from the library did not come with this as a separate document) and didn't feel like doing a lot of searching online to find these references. This lessened my experience of the book, sadly, but if you have the patience to ferret out this information then I feel it would really enhance the text.

On balance, Gardner spends more time on the period up to the end of the 19th century, easily half to 3/4 of the book, I'd say. An examination of the changes in both the building itself and especially the art world during the war years felt much more slight by comparison, while the modern renovation undertaken in the 1980s amounted to just under an hour of a nearly 13 hour recording. I had been expecting more about this particular period in the Louvre's history, to be honest, just because it resulted in the building the majority of us are familiar with today. But by this time the narrative felt a bit more like a summary than the in-depth detail Gardner lavished on the rest of the book.

This will be a book I'll definitely return to (hard copy for the images) when I plan my trip to Paris and the Louvre. Gardner uncovers fascinating architectural gems which may be missed by the visitor because some aren't easy to find or they're simply easy to overlook given everything else around them. This book would be a valuable accompaniment if you wanted to spend a morning or afternoon (or a whole day) tracking down these traces of the past.

[J Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Louvre: The Many Lives of the World's Most Famous Museum by James Gardner is an engrossing and, for me, an eye-opening account of the history of the space we now know as the Louvre.

While I have been twice, I am unfortunately one of those who went strictly to see what is stored inside without any inkling of the rich history of the building itself, not to mention the site as a whole. Gardner does an impressive job of consolidating all of the history into a readable book. This is a history book, not a work of fiction, so it does indeed read as a history book. It is quite engaging and nothing like a textbook though it is detailed. But detailed is different from being textbook-like. If you are hoping for a light read about just the museum itself, you might want to look elsewhere. If you are curious about how what seems to have been little more than a crossroads at one time could become, via a garrison and a palace, the world's most famous museum, you will be delighted with this book.

When I mentioned the writing style a moment ago, I don't mean to imply that it is a light and breezy read, Gardner covers a lot of information and so the writing is definitely geared toward offering information and putting it in context with what came before or will come later. Pretty much by definition that writing will have to have a certain formalism to it. Yet even with those demands, the writing is still straightforward and quite enjoyable.

I recommend this for readers who enjoy history as told through a specific place. Because of the time covered, we get a fair amount of European history here, but only as it applies to the Louvre. I also think anyone who has visited the museum but didn't know the rich history of the location itself will find a lot to enjoy.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Louvre: The Many Lives of the World's Most Famous Museum is a new retrospective for one of the world's most popular museum destinations. Released 15th May 2020 by Grove Atlantic, it's 416 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

This is a really well written historical retrospective of the Louvre (including the site from ancient times) down to the modern era. The chapters are arranged chronologically starting with the very early settlement of "le louvre" through its medieval incarnation as a fortress, then palace, then more modern incarnation after the reign of terror as a museum and cultural pulse-point. The text is fascinating and historically rich and the author imbues the narrative with enough relevance that I never found it boring or dry at all.

In addition to the meticulous research and writing, the book is comprehensively annotated with reference notes and bibliography for further reading. Many of the notes have links to web resources for more information. This would make a superlative selection for relevant classroom study in history or allied subjects including culture and art history.

Worth noting: This is not about the actual collections or art in the Louvre, the book is not abundantly illustrated. It is rather about the actual site of the physical buildings and how they have developed over the centuries.

Four stars. Well worth a read for lovers of history, culture, or the arts. Since it's not possible to visit the actual collections (except online), this was a nice stand-in.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Floyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Gardner presents a readable history of the world’s most famous art museum. The book focus on three different aspects of this history: the collection, the building, and its role in the history of Paris. This is both the book’s strength and the weakness: it covers a wide girth of material and the reader will enjoy it far more if they already have a good grasp of the architecture and history of France and Paris.

The author suggests early in the book that most of the works of art will need to be viewed on the internet.This is not only true for the works of art, but it is also true for historical and geographical references mentioned throughout the text. The reader will need to spend almost more time on the internet to fully enjoy the story presented here. That can best be accomplished by reading using two windows on a computer - one for the text of the book, the other for a web browser to search for pictures, historical references, and architectural features mentioned in the book. However, most readers will use a paper copy of the book or an e-reader, both of which might make the use of the internet difficult.

The other major concern a reader might have is the limited number of references provided. There are some, but they are not complete. This may occur because the author, as previously noted, assumes a basic knowledge of French and Parisian history. The book would be more help to the general by a complete set of footnotes with sources and where the reader can find more information.

The book presents an interesting history, but needs much to be discovered by the reader.
______________
This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

[David Matteson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for a copy of this text in return for an honest review.

Throughout Gardner’s fast paced history of the Western world’s most important encyclopedic art museum, we encounter, albeit briefly, the lives of the sovereigns, architects, and artists who crafted this fortress, turned palace, turned museum. This book reinforces the belief that buildings with such dense and overwhelming stories as the Louvre have ghosts that linger, that affect our interpretation of that space today.
Gardner demonstrates his ability as an art critic through rich descriptions of the Louvre’s collection. These passages are fascinating introductions to many of the museum’s greatest treasures, but they may leave more advanced students of art history seeking more. Still, Gardner’s text makes for an engaging primer and reference to the study of the Louvre. He has skillfully researched and synthesized 800 years of history in under 400 pages—an impressive feat, though an approach that values breadth over depth. He deploys a chronological approach to the narrative; yet many of his most interesting insights occur when he poetically connects the practices of the past to those of today.
Gardner’s history concludes with the opening of the Grande Louvre expansion in 1989. While this is a fitting end for his love letter to a treasured institution, he fails to contextualize the Louvre within current conversations affecting museums. Perhaps this was not the book to consider the implications of colonialism, but a nod to current cultural debates may have improved the epilogue’s saccharine outlook.
Overall, I would recommend this book to those keen on acquainting themselves with the Louvre’s expansive history. It might just leave you wanting more.

[Pamela Duarte · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Louvre tells the story of the amazing building and its inhabitants from its beginning as a relatively small fort on the banks of the Seine River through its multiple renovations up to its current standing as the world’s largest and most storied museum.

While the content of the books is fascinating, it is sometimes hard to follow. The author seems to assume the reader is familiar with French history, notables and geography and the layout of the Louvre. Since its been over 50 year since I was in Paris, I often had to resort to researching on the Internet to find out what he was referencing. I read an ARC from NetGalley which had minimal illustrations and no plan of the Museum. I went to the book page on Amazon and was able to Look Inside the final Kindle version and see a map, which I snipped and pasted and printed and that helped somewhat. I spent as much time researching as I did reading, which broke the continuity of my reading. I don’t know what the hardback or paperback versions had to help with visualizing what the text covered.

I would recommend the book to anyone who is familiar with the Louvre and French history. It would make a great companion to a trip to Paris and the museum and its surroundings. There was an amazing amount of detail and information and I’m glad that NetGalley and the publisher allowed me a copy of the book. If I ever make it back to Paris, it will definitely go with me.

[GuyGrand · Rating 5 out of 5]

This admirable book has a near impossible task: to make sense out of the jumbled history of a set of buildings that has been, variously, a fortress, palace, museum, and shopping mall. Towards the end, Gardner crunches the numbers as being something like twenty building campaigns over five centuries! Gardner is good at keeping three narratives interwoven throughout the book: 1) the architectural history of the buildings, galleries, walls, and even living spaces that comprise the Louvre 2) the circumstances around the Louvre's collecting of artworks and general connection to art currents (from sculpture and painting of the spaces themselves to its official leap to art museum, with its various kinds of collecting and curation over the years) and 3) a general social and political history of France (and its neighbors), which has determined what the building was used for, and even sometimes informed the dangers the complex faced. There are loads of fun facts and avenues for further research (I must learn more about the subterranean parking structure). This a model of the biography-of-a-building genre.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been the most rewarding book I've read this year! I took my time with it. There is so much history to absorb both of France and Europe, and how it played out in relation to the pretty incredible history of the Louvre itself. I was overwhelmed with the vast historical context that author James Gardner so lovingly compiled in this valuable work.

Gardner has carefully researched and recorded the fascinating history with epic results. I learned so much more than I could have hoped to, going into this fascinating reading experience.

This is a book to be treasured. I relished in the details of both the history of the Louvre and many of the famous works that came to find their home there. The knowledge I've gained, will certainly make my next visit to Paris and an extended visit to the Louvre much more rewarding.

Fans of European and Art history, novice and seasoned alike, will be well rewarded, venturing in to this great book.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[Jessica Samuelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I’ll admit it. Before reading this book I knew basically nothing about the Louvre except 1) it’s an art museum in Paris, 2) it has a giant glass pyramid, 3) that’s where the Mona Lisa lives, 4) it had something to do with the plot of The Da Vinci Code. That was it. After reading this book, I know a lot about the Louvre.

This book is extremely informative and is jam-packed with historical and architectural facts. There are lots of books about the artwork housed inside the Louvre, but this narrative focuses on the ever-evolving art and architecture of the building and grounds themselves. I found it very interesting how different French rulers changed the Louvre according to their own tastes and priorities over the years. The book also includes several historical photos and illustrations of the various iterations of the Louvre as well as several art pieces associated with it.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

An informative, if sometimes overly detailed, look at one of the most famous structures in the world. Starting from it's inception in the middle ages and finishing with modern additions such as the Pyramide, James Gardner does an admirable job of bringing this history to life. The Louvre is so old and connected to French history this can read almost like a primer of France's last 500 years for those (like me) who are not overly familiar with the country.

Recommended. I particularly appreciate the very detailed map of the Louvre included on the endpapers. The only reason I give it three stars instead of four is due to the lack of illustrations. While Gardner speaks at length about the museum's acquisitions, we get to see very few of them, which prompted me at times to stop reading and go research the objets d'art for myself. I think it would make for a smoother reading experience if illustrations had been included, even if they were only in black in white.

[Raquel]

I wrote a feature related to the book here: https://nypost.com/2020/05/09/how-the...

This is enormously detailed and well researched, everything you could want to know about the Louvre and its history is here. Which makes it incredibly rich and informative but also could make it seem a bit too much if you aren't a Louvre superfan. But if you are interested in the Louvre and love art and architecture (or French culture), it offers a comprehensive history as well as some fascinating tidbits about the architecture and the art it houses.

Also I read this during the beginning of the COVID pandemic, when NYC was shut down and all museums and cultural institutions closed and it was weird and oddly comforting to read about this wonderful museum and how it has lasted for centuries, how it withstood wars and pandemics and revolutions ... it really was a source of hope during those dark days!

[David Allwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Louvre is the worlds largest repository of humanity’s finest artefacts. The Louvre is the result of more than twenty building campaigns over five centuries, with thirty-six thousand works on view, representing less than one-tenth of the entire collection, it is visited by more than 9 million people annually. Clearly, a vast monument such as the Louvre required a vast and monumental book to record its complex history. Fortunately, James Gardner has produced such a book. Sweeping in scope and massive in its detail, this book tells the entire history of the louvre, from fortress, to palace, to gallery. Unfortunately it’s use of maps and photos is sparse causing difficulty for the reader fully appreciating its full scope of reference but, just the same, this is an excellently ambitious and admirably comprehensive telling of the history of the Louvre and, indirectly, the history of Paris.