Musée du Louvre

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Exclusive: international museum attendance figures back to pre-pandemic levels

In 2023, many of the world’s major museums equaled—or surpassed—their 2019 attendance figures. However, some UK institutions are still lagging behind, finds The Art Newspaper’s annual survey

Booksfeature

Missing Mona Lisa: the story behind the 1911 theft of Leonardo’s masterpiece

The author of a new book tells us why it was stolen and how Picasso got embroiled in the scandal

Mona Lisa undamaged after protesters at the Louvre throw soup at Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece

Members of Riposte Alimentaire demand the right to "healthy and sustainable food" after splattering pumpkin soup over the protective glazing in front of the world's most-viewed painting

Friends of the Louvre chair forced to step down

Louis-Antoine Prat, a French art historian and Old Master drawings collector, has been accused of slandering a respected art dealer with antisemitic stereotypes in his new book

Louis-Antoine Prat, chair of the Friends of the Louvre, accused of slandering Paris dealer in new book

French art historian is “horrified by the accusation of antisemitism” following the publication of his collection of short stories

Louvre raises ticket prices by 30% in Olympics year

The price increase will help to subsidise free entry for some visitors and regulate crowd size

Cimabue ‘kitchen’ painting placed under export ban ends up at the Louvre

The culture ministry had been given 30 months to raise the funds to purchase the work after its sale at auction in 2019 was halted

Climate activists spray-paint Paris's Louvre pyramid

A member of the Dernière Rénovation group scaled the famous glass monument over the weekend

Artists Kader Attia and Elizabeth Peyton to have studios on site at the Louvre

The 18-month residencies mark the 230th anniversary of the Parisian museum

Diaryblog

Lipstick and lashes at the Louvre

Lancôme drew inspiration from celebrated works such as the Venus de Milo and the Sleeping Hermaphrodite

Diaryblog

Netflix LGBTQ+ drama Heartstopper goes to the Louvre—or does it?

While gay romance Red, White & Royal Blue heats up at the Victoria and Albert Museum

Italy seeks the return of seven possibly looted works from the Louvre

The museum's director says works with dubious provenance are 'a stain in the collections of the Louvre'

Louvre interrupts sale of €2.6m record-breaking terracotta sculpture

Under patrimony laws the museum cannot intervene during the auction but can buy up works at the final price

Alexandre Crochet. With additional reporting by Gareth Harris

After Isis, Mosul Museum is rebuilt from the rubble

The terrorist group almost destroyed the museum in 2014. Less than a decade later, it is beginning to exhibit once again

The 100 most popular art museums in the world—who has recovered and who is still struggling?

Our exclusive Visitor Figures 2022 survey shows that numbers in Paris and Seoul were almost back to normal last year, while other major centres such as London struggled to hit pre-pandemic levels

Lee Cheshire and José da Silva. Research conducted by Alex Colville and Justin Kamp

Louvre retains its place as the most-visited art museum in the world

Paris institution tops our visitor figures survey yet again, while the city’s other museums do well too

London museums struggling to regain visitors after Covid closures, our survey shows

The Art Newspaper's annual Visitor Figures survey has found the National Gallery has lost more visitors since 2019 than any other art museum worldwide

Appeals court upholds antiquities trafficking charges against former Louvre director Jean-Luc Martinez and curator Jean-François Charnier

The appellate court judges’ decision came as a surprise, as the general prosecutor had asked for the charges—which relate to the acquisition of Egyptian antiquities by the Louvre Abu Dhabi—to be dropped

Revealed: the first photograph of the Louvre's Leonardo book that was spiked over Salvator Mundi fiasco

The story of the "Léonard de Vinci. Le Salvator Mundi" publication that was withdrawn from sale

Antiquities trafficking charges against former Louvre director Jean-Luc Martinez and curator Jean-François Charnier could be dropped

The ruling of the examining chamber, expected next year, could overturn the investigation against both curators in a case implicating the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Metropolitan Museum

Seven shows to see during Paris + par Art Basel

From Monet and Mitchell at Fondation Louis Vuitton to Munch at the Musée d’Orsay

Lights go out early at the Louvre in bid to slash high energy costs

Paris museum's pyramid joins the Eiffel Tower, Musée d'Orsay and Chateau Versailles in French government initiative to save power

Antiquities trafficking case escalates as Louvre Abu Dhabi joins civil action and Swiss collector files criminal complaint

In wake of scandal involving former Louvre director, France's culture minister forms taskforce to assess acquisitions procedures at museums

Louvre launches civil action as part of art trafficking case involving former director Jean-Luc Martinez

A number of objects purchased by the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Metropolitan Museum of Art are now under scrutiny—including an ancient Egyptian marble head worth €35m