Jesus' Coming Back

Timeline Of The Louvre

Illustration for article titled Timeline Of The Louvre

The Louvre, the most-visited art museum in the world, recently announced the hiring of its first female director, Laurence des Cars, in its 228-year history. The Onion looks back at the most important events in the history of the Paris art museum.

Advertisement

  • 1793: France’s revolutionary government opens Musée Central des Arts in the Grande Galerie of the Louvre to manage spillover crowds from the Hard Rock Café Paris.
  • 1814-1832: Bourbon Restoration period sees collections grow thanks to generous donations of artwork by plundered nations.
  • 1886: Museum makes history by acquiring its first female statue.
  • 1940: Nazi soldier pretty underwhelmed by remaining collection.
  • 1957: Mona Lisa placed behind bulletproof glass after unsuccessful assassination attempt.
  • 1980: Following expensive restoration of hundreds of paintings, Louvre begins forbidding visitors from touching or licking the art.
  • 1993: Museum celebrates 200 years of French art and culture with two-for-one beers and specialty nachos.
  • 2014: Fireworks ban lifted in effort to compete with the heart-stopping post-Impressionist thrill ride at the Musée d’Orsay.
  • 2015: Billion-dollar renovation to expand the Starbucks Wing.
  • 2018: Visitors finally given chance to lose themselves in the beauty of the Mona Lisa bi-fold wallet, now available in the gift shop.

The Onion

Comments are closed.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More