Monday, February 14, 2005

If you're in Paris one of the first places you're gonna head to is The Louvre; especially if you're a bit of an art lover. The first thing that strikes you is how huge the place is; it pretty much goes on for as far as the eye can see. Sitting there in the heart of the central courtyard is the glass pyramid that acts as a combination of modern art and the entrance and having made it through the security point you're suddenly in this huge modern subterranean world that is the Louvre's heart. From there you have France's national art treasures within your grasp.

It's really only possible to do a small part of the art within a day as the gallery is like a giant IKEA store full of art treasures. Obviously you could do the 'landmarks' in about an hour. First stop Mona Lisa, second stop Venus De Milo, third stop the gift shop. We spent several hours 'doing' Italian painting, Egyptian and Greek Relics, as well as the recently restored Apollo Gallery but couldn't face any more of the gallery's miles of walkways after that and so called it a day. Maybe they could consider installing golf buggies or a mini railway running throughout the corridors

It's all very well putting all your art into one size of a football stadium gallery but it makes it a truly daunting task. London's approach, with five or six collections across a similar number of buildings, is a much better way of dealing with a nation's art.

Posted by Antz at 7:34 PM | Permalink | | |

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