Documentation Rooms of the Museum

Public Documentation Rooms in the Richelieu Wing

• Introduction Rooms. In the Richelieu Wing, at the entrance of the circuits of Sculptures, Oriental Antiquites, Islam and Objets d'art. They include maps, chronologies and interactive media for a general introduction to these collections.
  The Information Room of the Paintings Department is located in the Sully Wing, French Paintings, room 17.

• Documentation Room of Objets d'art
  Richelieu Wing, First Floor, near the Napoléon III Apartments. It offers some fifteen general works, to be consulted freely, and more specialised works and pictures of major works, accessible under responsibility of documentalist staff.
  Hours : Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, from 9.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

• Documentation Room of Sculptures
  Richelieu Wing, Cour Marly, near the "Escalier du ministre". It includes general works on sculpture and the collections of the department, picture-catalogues of works of art. Documentalist staff is present.

Specialised Documentation Rooms

Documentation of the departments

These rooms include specific files on the works and databases and are only acessible for authorised researchers.

• Department of Prints and Drawings
  Approximately 26,000 files on works of art, pictures and databases, in particuler the inventory database of the department (130,000 items).
  Hours: Monday to Friday, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., without prior request. Entrance "Porte des Lions".
  Tel.: (33-1) 40 20 50 25.

• Department of Egyptian Antiquities
  Scientific documentation of the department (files on works of art and text database Pharaon) accessible for art historians, curators, university staff and students with a B.A. degree on recommendation of their professor.
  Hours : Monday form 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday to Friday from 9.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m., on written prior request describing the research subject. Entrance "Porte des Arts".
  Tel.: (33-1) 40 20 50 99 or 40 20 50 97.

• Departement of Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities
  Includes files on works of art, arranged by technique, photographic collection and database Jupiter.
  Hours: 9.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., on written prior request precising the research subject. Entrance « Porte des Arts ».
  Tel.: (33-1) 40 20 50 46 or 40 20 50 49. 49.

• Department of Oriental Antiquities
  Scientific documentation of the department, including files of works of art, photographic found and the text database Euphrate, accessible for art historians, curators, university staff and students with a B.A. degree on recommendation of their professor.
  Hours: 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., on written prior request describing the research subject. Entrance at 38, quai du Louvre.
  Tel.: (33-1) 40 20 50 68.

• Department of Objets d'art Documentation Centre
  Files on works of art, arranged by type of work (Limoge enamels, ivories, ceramics, gold and silverwork, bronze, wood, tapestries, etc.), or artist.
  Hours : 9.30 a.m.-12.30 p.m., 2 - 6 p.m., on request. Entrance "Porte des Arts".
  Tel.: (33-1) 40 20 52 75 ou 40 20 54 24 ou 40 20 57 85.

• Department of Paintings Study and Documentation Service
  Concerns Western painting from its origins until mid XIXth century (painters born before 1820). The documentation consists of both files on each painting in the museum (approximately 6,000 files including history, bibliography, iconography, photographic reproductions and textes from sales catalogues) and monographic files on artists in general. These files are arranged by schools and by artists (alphabetical order). The documentation also includes files about the donors of the museum and the history of the collections, as well as thousands of pictures.
  Access reserved for specialised art historians, curators, scholars, researchers, and students with a B.A. degree on recommendation of their professor.
  Hours: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 2 - 6 p.m. from Monday to Friday. Entrance "Porte des Lions".

• Department of Sculptures Documentation Centre
  Concerns European sculpture from the Middle Ages to 1848. It includes files on works of art, artists and places, databases of research by authors, artists, iconography and GPO.
  Access reserved for art historians, curators, collectors and students with a B.A. degree on recommendation of their professor.
  Hours: 9.30 a.m. - 12.30 p.m. on request. Entrance «Pavillon de Flore».
  Tel.: (33-1) 40 20 50 58.

"Médiathèque"

Located on the first floor of the area "Accueil des groupes", the "Médiathèque" is accessible for teachers and guides of groupes and associations, to help them prepare their visit. Documents can be consulted or loaned, even by correspondence (max. six weeks), and is free of charge. It includes books, slides and videotapes relating to the collections of the museum, as well as audiotapes of events that have taken place in the Auditorium (except concerts).
Hours : Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, from 11a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tel.: (33-1) 40 20 52 80.

Documentation of the Museographic Department

Includes specialised magazines, documentation on French and foreign museums, collection of photographs on the museum's renovation works and display of the works of art.
Computerising of the database, including digitalisation of 20.000 images is in process.
Tel.: (33-1) 40 20 53 74.

The Bookshop at the Louvre Museum (RMN)

The Bookshop of the RMN (Réunion des musées nationaux) at the Louvre Museum, hall Napoléon, is specialised in archeology and art history. It offers a large documentation on the subjects corresponding to the collections of the museum (the origins of art until 1848), as well as, more general, art history, presentation of works of art, history of France, catalogues of collections or exhibitions in French and foreign museums.
It also includes a multi media section with videotapes, videodiscs, CD-Rom and slides.
At the first floor a Bookshop for children is situated. It offers a large choise of books concerning art for young people, as well as some games related to art.
Tel.: (33-1) 40 20 53 53 ; Fax: (33-1) 40 20 54 45
Hours : daily except Tuesdays, from 9.30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Supplementary sales desks are situated in the museum galleries (Richelieu and Denon Wings). Opening hours are those of the museum.

Louvre Menu