Louis Antoine Prat is the new President of Amis du Louvre

After being vice president of Amis du Louvre for twenty years, Louis Antoine Prat, an art historian and drawings collector, has replaced Marc Fumaroli as President. He now reigns over 60 000 members of this active association, which raises 3 to 4 million euros every year for the collections. He has curated many exhibitions of Chassériau, Ingres and Poussin, and is one of the rare collectors, whose drawings have been exhibited everywhere including the US and Canada.

Guillaume Larrue, Egyptian room of the Louvre, In front of the great Sphinx, 1875-1900

His nomination coincides with a new direction taken by 52 year old Jean Luc Martinez, President of the Louvre. After the amazing impulse given by Henri Loyrette when the French National museum became the most visited in the world (with 10 million visitors) and one of the largest in collections.

The information center of Pavillon de l’Horloge makes the architecture of the museum much clearer

Martinez, has decided to concentrate the museum on its history and is trying to get the French public back into its walls at a time when Chinese tourists represent 10% of visitors. With the renovation of Pavillon de l’Horloge, the oldest building of this huge palace, transformed in  an information center, the public gets a historical approach of the collections.

A few highlights are exhibited with interactive screens and paintings of the museum in the 19 th century and a very large architectural model. It is a quiet center on three floors with the mandatory visit of the medieval walls. But it also makes us climb to the second floor, and visit the adjacent fabulous Vermeer and Peter de Hooch paintings as well as the French paintings galleries. I got lost once again but happily so in the 427 rooms and 180 000 square meters.

Under I.M. Pei’s Pyramid, the space has been redesigned with easier access

Run by Sébastien Fumaroli,  Les Amis du Louvre give you free access to this amazing museum for a membership of 80€ a year. They have a dynamic traveling plan for small groups. Last year they went to Texas and Sweden, this fall they will be in Munich and Alsace.

I have not been able to see the Le Brun exhibition at Musée du Louvre Lens yet, (2 hrs from Paris) but I strongly recommend the visit to anyone who is driving north,  for I heard it is fabulous.

At  Louvre Lens, Portrait of Chancelier Séguier by Le Brun