The Louvre's thematic mini-sites are designed to accompany exhibitions or special events at the museum. Featuring texts, graphic material, teaching ideas etc., they provide an introduction to the main themes in the history of art and archaeology.
The 18th Century at the Louvre
- Paper Museums: Antiquity Through Books, 1600 – 1800, September 25, 2010 – January 3, 2011
- The Louvre in the Age of Enlightenment, November 11, 2010 – February 7, 2011
- Antiquity Rediscovered: Innovation and Resistance in the 18th Century, December 2, 2010 – February 14, 2011
- Messerschmidt, January 26 – April 25, 2011
The Galerie d'Apollon
The Galerie d'Apollon is a unique masterpiece whose vault and wall decoration comprises some 41 paintings, 118 sculptures, and 28 tapestries. Designed (but not completed) during the reign of Louis XIV, dozens of French artists from Le Brun to Delacroix contributed to its decoration over almost two centuries.
The Gates of Heaven: Visions of the World in Ancient Egypt
For the ancient Egyptians, the expression "the Gates of Heaven" referred both to the passageway into the afterlife, and to certain everyday objects. The exhibition entitled "The Gates of Heaven. Visions of the World in Ancient Egypt" features some 350 artifacts dating from the Old Kingdom to the Roman Period which it endeavors to place in their social, religious, and artistic context.
The Song of the World: The Art of Safavid Iran, 1501–1736
The visual arts are closely linked to the written word in Iranian culture, in which the predominant theme is the greatness of the divine creation that is the world. This connection, manifest both in painting and in the decorative arts (whose motifs illustrate literary metaphors), intensified during the Safavid period.
Three Empires of Islam: Masterpieces of Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal Art from the Louvre Museum
Ceramics, metalwork, rugs, and manuscripts from the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires… This mini-site presents the main items from the Department of Islamic Art featured in the exhibition entitled "Three Empires of Islam: Masterpieces of Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Art from the Louvre Museum".
Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese...Rivals in Renaissance Venice
In Venice from 1540 to 1590, Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese—to mention only the most famous—vied with each other in pictorial prowess. This artistic rivalry fostered a profusion of ideas and innovation that would make Venice a major hub of artistic creation.
Treasury of the World: Jeweled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals
Over three hundred objects of outstanding beauty and creativity, each crafted with extreme delicacy... These items from the collection of Sheikh Nasser al-Sabah reflect the opulence and refinement of the Age of the Mughals.
William Hogarth (1697-1764)
The painter and engraver William Hogarth paved the way for what came to be known as the "English school of painting." He met with international acclaim for his series of remarkably inventive images satirizing the moral and social failings of his contemporaries.
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