You can now view the Louvre's most stunning pieces of work for FREE from your smartphone thanks to the museums new Collection Database..
Designed for both researchers and curious art lovers, the new site which contains more than 482,000 entries, including works from the Louvre and the Musée National Eugène-Delacroix, sculptures from the Tuileries and Carrousel gardens, and ‘MNR’ works (Musées Nationaux Récupération, or National Museums Recovery) recovered after WWII and entrusted to the Louvre until they can be returned to their legitimate owners is available online, whether works are on display in the museum, on long-term loan in other French institutions, or in storage.
The site offers several ways to delve into the collections: simple or advanced searches, entries by curatorial department, and themed albums. An interactive map helps visitors prepare or extend their visit and allows them to explore the museum room by room. Updated regularly by museum experts, the database will continue to grow and reflect advances in research.
In addition to the new Collections Database, the Louvre has moderinized its website to better support the museum, designed to reach the widest possible audience, the Louvre’s new website is divided into three main sections: ‘Visit’, ‘Explore’, and ‘What’s on’. Focusing on works in the collections and the sumptuous settings they are displayed in, the site invites visitors to appreciate the former palace as they move from room to room. Available in French, English, Spanish and Chinese, images and video are given place of pride. The site can be visited on tablets and computers, but is intended primarily for use on smartphones, given the widespread use of mobile devices today. The website is designed to stay in synch with the Louvre as the museum develops more digital content.
‘Today, the Louvre is dusting off its treasures, even the least-known’, says Jean-Luc Martinez, President-Director of the Musée du Louvre. ‘For the first time, anyone can access the entire collection of works from a computer or smartphone for free, whether they are on display in the museum, on loan, even long-term, or in storage. The Louvre’s stunning cultural heritage is all now just a click away! I am sure that this digital content is going to further inspire people to come to the Louvre to discover the collections in person’.
