Product Description

From Mona Lisa's smile to Napoleon's plundered treasures and I. M. Pei's controversial glass pyramid, Louvre: Portrait of a Museum presents one of the world's greatest and most popular museums not as a sum of its masterpieces, but as a living, changing institution that reflects the artistic, political, and social history of the western world. It features 650 magnificent reproductions, previously unpublished archival plans and documents, and lively essays on the museum's history and collections.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #885901 in Books
• Published on: 2001-08-06
• Original language: French
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

Customer Reviews

a highly informative and visually striking book
This book weighs five pounds (I put it on some scales)so it's best to read it while it's resting on a table!A weighty book
that makes for a light,but informative read - lots of facts about the Louvre but not too much analysis.However,I think it helps if the reader has some knowledge of French history over the last two hundred years,just so the names of some of the
historical figures and events mean something.The photographs are delightful and most of the works of art they depict I hadn't seen pictures of before.

louvre
This book is a lavishly illustrated history of the premier art and history museum. It represents excellent value for money and is a work of art in itself.