The Collections

The collections of the Louvre Museum represent works of art dating from the birth of the great civilisations of the Méditerranean area until the western civilisation of the Early Middle Ages to the middle of the XIXth century. The collections are divided into seven departments: Oriental Antiquities (with a section dedicated to Islamic Art), Egyptian Antiquities (with a section dedicated to Coptic Art), Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities; and, covering the modern period, Paintings, Sculptures, Objets d’art and Prints and Drawings. In addition, there is a section dedicated to the history of the Louvre, which includes in particular the medieval moats erected by Philippe Auguste in 1190, which were discovered during work on the Grand Louvre project.

The evolution of the Louvre is still going on. The current reorganisation is aimed at displaying its collections around the current reception area situated under the pyramid.
The seven departments will be retained, whilst a rapprochement in chronological and geographical terms is to be encouraged. Movement from one department to the other will continue to take place without transition. The departments are located in areas which may be dispersed around the interior of the palace, but are still arranged with reference to the three wings of the building: Denon, to the south, along the Seine; Sully, to the east, around the Cour Carrée; and Richelieu, to the north, along the rue de Rivoli.

Some of the departments have been completely renovated over the last few years, further renovation works will take place until 1998. An increasing number of the works exhibited will benefit from improved presentation.
See also the chapter The end of the project.

Oriental Antiquities and the Islamic Art Section