SUNDAY REVIEW / LOUVRE PUTS ITS ENTIRE COLLECTION ONLINE

Ms. Lisa G.

PARIS--This week, the Louvre, one of the most visited museums in the world, unveiled to the public an online platform featuring all of the museum's artworks, consisting of more than 480,000 pieces. 

Thanks to the new website and interactive mapping system visitors may locate in advance what they wish to view ranging from the Mona Lisa to the anonymous creator of Isis Aphrodite (Roman period). 

No more wandering the massive hallways hoping you can stumble upon those amazing masterpieces that interest you. 

From a press release, the Louvre announced, the website showcases artworks from collections at the museum's eight departments, ranging from Islamic art and Renaissance sculptures to Egyptian antiquities and paintings from artists all over the world.  

"Today, the Louvre is dusting off its treasures, even the least-known," Jean-Luc Martinez, the president and director of the Louvre, said in a statement. "For the first time, anyone can access the entire collection of works from a computer or smartphone for free, whether they are on display in the museum, on loan, even long-term, or in storage." 

"The Louvre's stunning cultural heritage is all now just a click away!" he added. "I am sure that this digital content is going to further inspire people to come to the Louvre to discover the collections in person." 

Roman figurine from Christ era
of Goddess Isis Aphrodite

Visitors can search through the museum's massive collections through simple or advanced searches, entries by curatorial department, or themed albums, the release said. The website has an interactive map that allows people to explore the museum and every one of its artworks room by room. The website will be updated regularly by museum experts as the museum's collection slowly expands, according to the release. For the Louvre Collections Website Click here. 

The new Louvre collection website is a treasure trove for art lovers. Now at your fingertips you will be able to find, for example, Rembrandt’s “ Self-Portrait with Easel and Painter's Hand Rest” 

This remarkable work was purchased by France’s King Louis XIV in 1671 and was hung when the Louvre first opened in 1793. Remarkable also is the detail provided by the Louvre for each of its collection items. For example, here is a portion of Rembrandt aforementioned work: 

Description / One of Rembrandt's large self-portraits along with those of Vienna (1652), the Frick Collection in New York (1658) and Kenwood (c. 1665-1669), all late and one of the few where the artist painting himself in the process of painting, perhaps even his first self-portrait to date in this genre. Repentance appearing on the x-ray (change of hairstyle: a large dark beret instead of the current cap) or visible to the naked eye (Rembrandt initially presenting more face, left hand with brushes placed more to the right, etc. ). Archaic habit as often with Rembrandt, in the style of the 16th century, emphasizing the Renaissance tonality of a portrait à la Titian. The white canvas cap, for domestic use, shows that it is a painter at work, but standing and not seated, as if to assert his pride as a creative artist.