Musée du Louvre
Paris, France
The Louvre is the national art museum of France, located in Paris in the former royal palace on the right bank of the Seine. Originally a medieval fortress, the building was expanded over centuries into a royal residence, and it opened as a public museum in 1793 during the French Revolution. The glass pyramid in the central courtyard, designed by I. M. Pei, was completed in 1989 and serves as the main entrance. It is among the most visited museums in the world.
Its encyclopedic collection spans antiquity to the mid-nineteenth century and includes celebrated works such as the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. The museum holds two paintings by Vermeer, The Astronomer and The Lacemaker.
