Lourve Exibit: "It's My High"
by Joy Ugi
Issue date: 2/19/07 Section: Features
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This is unlike any other museum exhibition, with one of the most renowned art museums in the world showing its art for three years instead of just a few months. In fact, the enthusiasm has been growing for three years ever since the conceptualization of a significant plan to bring special selections of the Louvre Museum in Paris' collections to the High Museum of Art. The Louvre Atlanta is much more than an art exhibit; it is also an exceptional opportunity expose people to an exclusive body of artwork. "Our field is actually very traditional," High director Michael Shapiro said in an interview with the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "The normal segment for temporary exhibits is 12 to 16 weeks. Our project, which is 160 weeks old, breaks the mold."
The Louvre Atlanta is a project spanning three years in which collections from the Musee du Louvre in Paris, Franceis will be exhibited at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia. The first installment of these collections opened October 4, 2006 with "The King's Collections", a gathering of sketches, sculptures and paintings from the kings of France in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the first year of the project, 166 pieces will be displayed. In March, "Decorative Arts of the Kings" will replace the drawings exhibit with a showcase of luxury items, tapestries, ceramics, and silver made fore the French court. "We wanted pieces that were very rich and that helped us tell the story of what the Louvre is all about," said David Brenneman, Chief Curator for the High, quoted as saying in the Chicago Tribune. "People in New York and the Midwest have always been able to see great works of art. So this is very important for the Southeast." Next year's exhibit will focus on ancient art, and the third year is still in its final stages.
One of the most prestigious museums in the world, The Louvre Museum boasts an impressive history. According to the Louvre's website, www.louvre.fr, in the early 11th Century, the structure was built as part of a defensive all around Paris. In 1546, Francois I tore down the original building, and erected a considerable palace in the emerging Renaissance style, in which the royalty resided on and off for the next 200 years. Additional buildings were added throughout the century. During the reign of Louis XII in the mid 15th Century, the Louvre went through periods of major renovations but also royal ignorance. Each monarch after Louis ordered more additions in the most popular styles of the day, which is where the present day museum gets its unique layout and style. It officially opened as the Museum Central des Arts on August 10, 1976 and in the more than 200 years afterwards became one of the most well established and respected art museums in the world with 35,000 works of art from eight departments.
The Louvre Atlanta is a project spanning three years in which collections from the Musee du Louvre in Paris, Franceis will be exhibited at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia. The first installment of these collections opened October 4, 2006 with "The King's Collections", a gathering of sketches, sculptures and paintings from the kings of France in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the first year of the project, 166 pieces will be displayed. In March, "Decorative Arts of the Kings" will replace the drawings exhibit with a showcase of luxury items, tapestries, ceramics, and silver made fore the French court. "We wanted pieces that were very rich and that helped us tell the story of what the Louvre is all about," said David Brenneman, Chief Curator for the High, quoted as saying in the Chicago Tribune. "People in New York and the Midwest have always been able to see great works of art. So this is very important for the Southeast." Next year's exhibit will focus on ancient art, and the third year is still in its final stages.
One of the most prestigious museums in the world, The Louvre Museum boasts an impressive history. According to the Louvre's website, www.louvre.fr, in the early 11th Century, the structure was built as part of a defensive all around Paris. In 1546, Francois I tore down the original building, and erected a considerable palace in the emerging Renaissance style, in which the royalty resided on and off for the next 200 years. Additional buildings were added throughout the century. During the reign of Louis XII in the mid 15th Century, the Louvre went through periods of major renovations but also royal ignorance. Each monarch after Louis ordered more additions in the most popular styles of the day, which is where the present day museum gets its unique layout and style. It officially opened as the Museum Central des Arts on August 10, 1976 and in the more than 200 years afterwards became one of the most well established and respected art museums in the world with 35,000 works of art from eight departments.
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