The building of The Louvre that exists today was originally started
in 1546 for use as a royal palace for King Francis I and has been used
as a public museum since 1793. The Louvre has three wings:
the Richelieu (after Armand Richelieu, 17th Century French
statesman, cardinal and monarchist)
the Sully (after Maximilien Sully, 17th Century French
statesman)
the Denon (after Dominique Denon, 18th Century French
illustrator, scientist and author).
Each of these three wings has three floors above ground and one
underground level named the Entresol.
The different buildings occupying the site have undergone much
change
and destruction over the centuries. There have been a series of
significant
razings, add-ons, changes and renovations in its history since the
original
Louvre of 1200 when Philippe August began construction of a fortress on
the
banks of the Seine.
Despite its chequered history, this honey-coloured building is a
fascinating example of French architecture that combines elegance with
functionality; its large internal rooms and corridors ideally suited to
its grand display of centuries worth of art. The outside of the wings
are rich with statues of famous French philosophers, writers,
sculptors, artists who look down onto the inner courtyard. Each
above-ground level has its own design distinguishing each from the
other:
the first level is set back from a corridor of arches and
entrances
the second is a line of windows embellished by ornate masonry
the third is a series of smaller virtually plain windows.
The main entrances are particularly imposing: they repeat the rule of
threes that run throughout the building, each being three levels high
and three windows wide, and have vertical columns distinguishing the
entrances from the horizontal emphases of the rest of the building.
In 1981, as part of Mitterand's Grand Projets, the project to create
Le Grand Louvre was started that was not finished until 1997. The
American architect I.M. Pei was commissioned to create a vast new and
modern entrance to the Museum to accommodate the very large numbers of
visitors to the Louvre who previously had to file through the
inadequate entrances to the main
building. The main entrance is covered by a large, glass, steel-rod and
cable pyramid providing a great sense of space and light and is
complemented by three much smaller pyramids that:
functionally, provide additional natural light and ventilation
to the underground entrance area
aesthetically, balance the central pyramid by providing three
companions
architecturally, gives a nod to the arrangement's inspiration:
the three pyramids at Giza (Kufu, Kafra and Menkaura).
The project was controversial at its inception with many: it was
feared it would provide too great a contrast to the Louvre and look
incongruous, or worse still, make the Louvre itself look anachronistic.
In my view
though, the pyramids are a great success making excellent practical use
of the available courtyard space. They are indeed so different from the
main Louvre building itself, in form, materials and practicality, but
the
contrast is invigorating, exciting and takes the architecture into
another
dimension. The pyramids very subtly mirror the shallow apexes at the
top
of the old entrances that enclose an assembly of figures in the
classical
way that dates back to the Parthenon. And the pyramid shape itself, of
course,
dates back to ancient Egyptian times. The modern materials and
construction
though make them a very effective link between the ancient and the
modern
that I think boldly and distinctively complements the Louvre itself.
I.M. Pei has had a habit of repeating himself with this design. The Bank
of China building in Hong Kong and the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio re-uses the triangular forms of
the
pyramid. Nevertheless, this does not detract from the impact nor
success
of this effective and functional piece of architecture at the Louvre.
