Here's another old favorite: the glass pyramid at the Louvre. I've posted this photo before in a much smaller format. So here it is again, larger and, I hope, better.
The pyramid marks the entrance to the Louvre museum, something that was seriously lacking before its construction. Visitors to the museum had to navigate a parking lot (France's Ministry of Finance used to be located in the building) to get inside. The entrance was neither obvious nor elegant. All of that changed when the Finance folks moved to a new building (by order of then-President François Mitterrand) and the parking lot became a courtyard for pedestrians.
The Louvre Palace has always been a work in progress. From its early days as a medieval castle (vistors can see the foundations in the museum's lower levels) to its expansion under various kings through the Renaissance, its abandonment as the royal residence with the building of Versailles under Louis XIV, the destruction by fire of the Tuileries wing during the uprising of 1871, and now with improvement and expansion through the modern era, the palace continues to evolve and inspire.
There are a variety of small imitations of the glass pyramid. I’d love to see the original.
ReplyDeleteThe entrance to the museum was through the Pavillon Denon and a long gallery leading, if memory serves, to the Victoire de Samothrace? As I wrote several years ago on Ken’n blog, a lovely park was destroyed to make room for a parking. Sic transit...
ReplyDeleteHere is a link if I wrote correctly the html code, Here
This photo was taken, roughly, after the Tuileries Palace was burned down by the Communards in 1870 and 1888 when the monument to Gambetta was erected.
DeleteThere should be a between somewhere!
DeleteMitchell, you should go to Paris!
ReplyDeleteJudy
I love the pyramid but I won’t wait in line for an hour to enter the Louvre. I always use one of the other entrances which are never busy.
ReplyDeleteBettyAnn
mitch, did you ever see the glass pyramid at the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco?
ReplyDeletechm, pave paradise, put up a parking lot!
judy, agreed!
bettyann, how often do you go? I think I've been inside maybe 3 times in 40 years. LOL!
I wasn't 'aware the pyramid was the actual entrance. I learned something.
ReplyDeleteMy visits were pre-pyramid and I believe I've been there twice. Quite a bit of discussion this morning (4 mai) on the radio (NPR - National Public Radio) about the anniversary of the opening day for Star Wars. I attended locally and the movie (as we all know!) was just as exciting as the hoop-la said it would be! I just love that bar scene with all those crazee characters!!!
ReplyDelete