The Louvre will now let you explore it digitally

Art lovers no longer have to travel to Paris to visit the Louvre as it has uploaded a vast part of its collection online.

The world’s largest art museum announced the digital platform on 26 March. It features more than 482 000 entries and includes art from multiple exhibitions.

“Today, the Louvre is dusting off its treasures, even the least-known,” said the Louvre’s president-director, Jean-Luc Martinez.

“For the first time, anyone can access the entire collection of works from a computer or smartphone for free, whether they are on display in the museum, on loan, even long-term, or in storage.”

How to view the Louvre’s art online

The Louvre’s online exhibition can be accessed on the museum’s website.

The exhibition features several categories. They include paintings, sculptures, furniture, textiles, jewellery and finery, writing and inscriptions, and objects.

There are also several research tools available such as a full-text search engine and search results filter.

The websites feature themed albums like masterpieces and portraiture, as well as an interactive map of the museum.

Visitors can also search the website according to the museum’s curatorial departments.

The museum’s entire collection is on display regardless if artworks are on display, on loan or in storage. It features art from the Musée National Eugène-Delacroix, sculptures from the Tuileries and Carrousel gardens, and works from the National Museums Recovery project. The goal of the project is to return artworks entrusted to the Museum after World War II to their rightful owners.

Established in 1793, the museum is home some of the world’s greatest artworks. These include Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People.

At the same time as the announcement, the Louvre unveiled its redesigned website. The website is divided into three sections, ‘Visit’, ‘Explore’, and ‘What’s On’, and is available in several languages.

Feature image: Unsplash/Chris Karidis

Read more: Study shows fewer South Africans keen on working abroad