Louvre 2020 : a 2nd large campaign of works for the museum

After the 1st campaign of large works since the 2nd Empire, initiated
by president Mitterrand in September 1981, 4 months after his
election, which began with the archeological diggings in 1983,
culminated with the enlargments of 1989-1997 and ended with the
inaugurations of the pavillon des Sessions initiated by president
Chirac (2000), 19th c. northern schools, Salle du Manège, Apollo
gallery (2004) and salle des Etats refurbishmed for Mona Lisa (2005),
a new campaign of large works has been launched February 4th 2008,
notably thanks to the 1 billion € to be received from the United Arab
Emirates on a period of 30 years in compensation of the Louvre Abu
Dhabi project. The campaign includes the works launched since 2005
(18th c. objets d'arts & Islamic arts).
Inaugurations "due" to come (including Louvre-Lens) according to :
http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/a...louvre2020.htm :

2010 : Greek & roman copies of greek antiquities gallery.
The gallery was closed for security reasons and emptied after a Vandal
broke a finger of one of the most important piece : the Apollo
saurochtone after Praxiteles !
Refurbishment around the Venus of Milo and protection of the pieces.

2010 : EXTERNAL : Louvre antenna in Lens (North of France) : www.louvrelens..fr
28.000 m² in a park of 20 hectares
Built by the japanese team of Kazuyo Seijima and Ryue Nishizawa, it
will present some collections of the Louvre from the 8 departments for
temporary periods.

2010 : Department of Islamic arts :
http://www.louvre.fr/media/repositor...9830603571.pdf
2000 objects (on 13.000) in 3000 m² on 2 levels in the Cour Visconti :
ground floor (8th-11th c.), underground (12th-18th c.).
Initiated in 2002 by president Chirac, begun in 2007 and built by the
italo-french team Mario Bellini and Rudy Ricciotti thanks notably to
mecenes financing of prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
of Saudi Arabia, the emir of Koweit, Sultan of Oman and Total.

2011 : 18th century objets d'arts
2443 m² at the 1st floor of the North & part of West wings of the Cour
carrée
Refurbished by the team Yann Keromnes, Aurelio Galfetti and Laurence
Carminati thanks to mecenes financing of Cercle Cressent, American
Friends of the Louvre and loans to Atlanta High museum.

2011 : EXTERNAL : Centre de réserves, de restaurations et de
recherches des musées.
A centre for reserves, restorations and reseach will be created in
Paris region for the collections of the Louvre, Orsay, Orangerie and
Ecole des Beaux Arts (ENSBA) museums, situated in the floading zone of
Paris, in order to avoid the damages of a possible centenial floading
(like the one of 1910). It will allow as well the restoration and
inventory of other national museums collections (chantiers de
collections) like the one recently made for the Quay Branly museum.
The department of restoration in the Flore wing and pavilion as well
as the Central library of the national museums in the South wing of
the cour carrée will move there and allow the opening of new rooms but
the AGLAE laboratory will remain at the Louvre.

2012 : Roman and etruscan antiquities
2000 m² on 2 levels : ground floor in and around the cour du Sphinx,
1st floor in the 7 chimneys, Henry II & glasses rooms.
Transfer of the etruscan antiquities to 1st floor, enlargment and
partial refurbishment of roman antiquities at ground floor.
A new staircase will also be built in the salle du manège between 2010
and 2012.

2015 : End of the works for disabled public and fire security
initiated respectively in 1989 and 2005.

2015 : Introduction to the museum visit rooms and educational
workshops.
2000 m² in the pavilion and upper level of the Flore wing will receive
the educational workshops and a presentation of the Louvre and its
collection.

2017 : Pyramid hall
It will be refurbished with the integration of the ticket offices and
cloakrooms in the surrounding rooms or the gallery leading to the
inverted pyramid and the transfer of the rooms for groups in the hall
Charles V near the carpark.

2018 : English and early 19th c. french paintings.
1600 m² at the 2nd floor of the South wing of the Cour carrée
The 800 m² of offices and Central library of the national museums will
be replaced by the english paintings and some 1774-1848 french
paintings with a refurbishment and liaison to the 800 m² of the same
wing already dedicated to these french paintings.

2018 : Tuilerie garden restoration
Total restoration of the garden (terrasses, walls, fences, bassins,
statues, chairs, lighting) and increase of the vegetalised surface...

2020 : History of the Louvre rooms
2099 m² from the archeological crypt and entresol to the 6 floors of
the Sully pavilion of the cour carrée.
Transfer of the Louvre history rooms next to the pyramid into the
Sully pavilion with restoration of the 1st floor chapel, opening of
the 4 levels of the roof dome and link with the archeological spaces
below.
The actual history rooms will probably be used to increase the
temporary exhibitions spaces and the Beistegui collection of the 2nd
floor transfered elsewhere or, I hope, scattered in the corresponding
rooms of the museum (Goya, David, etc...).

Former works reports :
2006 : http://www.louvre.fr/media/repositor...9831186051.pdf
2007 : http://www.louvre.fr/media/repositor...9831216903.pdf

didier Meurgues

Inaugurations "due" to come (including Louvre-Lens) according to :
http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/a...ouvre2020.htm:

You must open the link "dossier de presse" on the upper right of the
page.

didier Meurgues

I had not read entirely the 2007 report. Modifications.... :

The first enlargment happened in fact in 1985 with the opening of the
medieval moats (archeological spaces), before the pyramid (1989), the
french painting of the 2nd floor of the Cour carrée (1992), the
Richelieu wing (1993), the foreign sculptures rooms (1994), the coptic
and late egyptian antiquities (1997) and the preclassical Greece
(1997). For the new spaces until 2005 : Porte des Lions entrance and
staircase (1998), pavillon des Sessions (2000), 18th-19th c. northern
schools (2001), Salle du Manège (2004).

2010 : Greek & roman copies of greek antiquities gallery.
The gallery was closed for security reasons and emptied after a
Vandal
broke a finger of one of the most important pieces : the Apollo
saurochtone after Praxiteles ! The Venus de Milo has already moved to
its final place.
Refurbishment and protection of the pieces thanks to a patronage
financing (2) of japanese TV NTV.

(2) I incorrectly translated in the post "mecénat" by mecenes
financing instead of patronage of the arts.

2010 : Department of Islamic arts :
http://www.louvre.fr/media/repositor...rc_document_50...
2000 objects (on 13.000) in 3000 m² on 2 levels in the Cour
Visconti :
ground floor (8th-11th c.), underground (12th-18th c.).
Initiated in 2002 by president Chirac, begun in 2007 and built by the
italo-french team Mario Bellini and Rudy Ricciotti thanks notably to
patronage financing of prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Al
Saud
of Saudi Arabia, the emir of Koweit, Sultan of Oman and Total (about
50%).
The refurbishment by françois Pin of the rooms of oriental
mediterranean arts surrounding the Cour Visconti which was launched
earlier will finally be included in the works for a better coherence.

PS : The 2007 reports says that the preclassical Greece arts will
consequently move elsewhere... despite their actual perfect situation
as an intoduction to greco-roman rooms ! I'm wondering where ? Perhaps
around the Cour Visconti or cour du Sphinx ? In fact the relocation of
the Islamic arts from Richelieu to Denon wings is a bit disturbing
because of the size of the collection... Furthermore, they have not
yet said what they will put at their place in Denon. Probably oriental
antiquities, nevertheless.

2011 : 18th century objets d'arts
2443 m² at the 1st floor of the North & part of West wings of the
Cour
carrée
Refurbished by the team Yann Keromnes, Aurelio Galfetti and Laurence
Carminati with creation of 2 new staircases both sides of the Marengo
pavilion in the midle of the wing, thanks to a 100 % patronage
financing of Cercle Cressent, American Friends of the Louvre and the
loans to Atlanta High museum.

2011 : EXTERNAL : Centre de réserves, de restaurations et de
recherches des musées.
(...)

More probably 2012 (1) : EXTERNAL : Louvre antenna in Lens (North of
France) : www.louvrelens.fr
28.000 m² in a park of 20 hectares, 100 % financed by the local
authorities and the European community.
Built by the japanese team of Kazuyo Seijima and Ryue Nishizawa, it
will present some collections of the Louvre from the 8 departments
for
temporary periods as well as important exhibitions.

(1) They didn't find an adequate building company last June and must
re-launch the "appel d'offre" procedure...

2012 : Roman and etruscan antiquities
2000 m² on 2 levels : ground floor in and around the cour du Sphinx,
1st floor in the 7 chimneys, Henry II & glasses rooms.
Transfer of the etruscan antiquities to 1st floor, enlargment and
partial refurbishment of roman antiquities at ground floor.
A new staircase will also be built in the salle du Manège between
2009
and 2012. The room below is closed since 2007 for this purpose.

After the paintings and sculptures of Anselm Kiefer in 2007 installed
in the North-East staircase of the Cour carrée thanks to a 100 %
patronage financing of AGF insurances, Cy Twombly will add a painting
to the ceiling (its a huge one !) of the Salles des bronzes in Sully
wing and Fançois Morellet some stained glasses in the Lefuel
straircase of Richelieur wing.

New patrons are welcomed for these large pieces ! :+)

didier Meurgues
THE END ?